Of Two Bloodlines
by Elizabeth0058
Summary: Someone has two Konoha bloodlines, but she's supposed to be dead.She realates to Naruto, she was in the same spot: hated by the village for something that was out of her control.She's been gone for ten years after she ran away, so why would she return now?Chunin Exams on.Bad summary, I know, so read some of it.NO OCxNaruto. Possible OCxIruka.(This possibility may change.) ON HOLD!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I wove through the trees as fast as I possibly could—which in truth was really fast—using my own chakra to stick myself to the branches that stuck out of the towering trees. That evil chakra up ahead was familiar, way to familiar, and the image of a snake was brought to the forefront of my mind. This particular snake though was white-skinned with long black hair and black-rimmed amber eyes that were a green-gold to be exact with cat-like pupils.

"Orochimaru…" I growled aloud, my eyes narrowing as I neared my target. I could feel that there were two other people with the snake, and if I were to judge one felt slightly darker than the other did, but not by much. The stronger, and darker of the two, was attempting to fight Orochimaru back as the snake assaulted the person, failing miserably.

I knew who that chakra belonged to, and pushed myself even harder, praying that the boy had not been marked yet. If Sasuke Uchiha, one of the few remaining shinobi with the Uchiha Clan's blood running through his veins, were to be marked he would be lost to Orochimaru forever. When the boy's chakra stopped moving I lost all hope that I could make it in time even though I could see the glint of the sun off of scales through the trees. Suddenly there was a flash of malevolent chakra, and my blood ran cold as I could practically see the red tinted chakra permeating the air. In the mix of the red I felt the calming blue of the person's normal chakra. The thing was I knew both of these chakras for different reasons.

"Naruto…" I breathed as I finally entered the clearing just in time to see Naruto—with his normally sapphire or sky blue eyes crimson and cat-like, his six whisker marks darkened and more filled out, face contorted with rage and shock. I saw the blonde receive a hand with glowing blue kanji on all five fingers rammed into his stomach as Orochimaru held the boy up with an elongated tongue. Rammed right over where the seal to keep the Nine-Tailed fox contained inside him from being released and wrecking havoc. The blonde's eyes widened and flashed back to blue before they became half-lidded.

A smirk on his face, Orochimaru withdrew his hand from the boy's stomach, and unwound his tongue from around him as well, and let Naruto fall. But the boy's descent was stopped by two kunai stabbing through the coat of his horrendous, kill-me-now, orange and blue jumpsuit, and embedded themselves into the tree with two _THUNKS!_ For an instant Naruto's weary blue eyes met mine and faintly I saw a faint flash of recognition before he fell unconscious.

Without thinking, I turned towards the children, facing away from the snake-like man on the dull, green-gray snake. Even with the distance between us I could see the confusion in the green eyes of the girl with long pink hair as she gazed at the two life saving kunai that had stopped Naruto from falling by securing him to the trunk of the tree. I noticed that her arm was still extended from throwing her own kunai. The black-haired boy on the other hand was scanning the forest around him and the girl, and for a fraction of a second when his eyes found me they paused then he continued searching the forest.

I smirked as I quickly and quietly moved towards the children just as Orochimaru turned to look at where Sasuke's eyes had stopped. After lookg for a few moments and not noticing anything out of the ordinary, he turned back to the two conscious kids, a cold smile curling his lips upwards.

Immediately after smirking, he spoke in a smooth voice. "So, Sasuke?" With surprising speed the ex-Sanin knocked the girl away, gaining a closer distance to Sasuke. I watched the girl fall and heard the whoosh of air as it was forced out of her lungs on impact with a lower branch, but turned my attention back to Orochimaru. The snake's amber eyes glimmered with amusement as the boy flipped away to another branch, but the man did not budge an inch closer. I tensed, a feeling in my gut telling me that what I knew Orochimaru was aiming for was going to happen soon, and prepared myself to interfere. "Is that it? Yes? If so then I should stop toying shouldn't I?"

I rushed forward a millisecond after the man's head shot out, elongating his neck unnaturally and closing the gap between the prodigy and snake in a heartbeat, and even with that reaction time I was almost too late. Whipping out a kunai from the weapons pouch on my right leg, I switched it to my left hand almost instantaneously before digging around for a special keepsake kunai that I had, wrapping my hand around the handle of the weapon once I felt it. I sprung in front of the young Uchiha, as the serpentine man's head was merely a yard away from the man's target.

I saw the black-rimmed eyes widen in horror when he saw me, but he was already way too far extended and close to change directions or stop as his head came closer. Baring my two kunais, I easily hit his head to the right, exposing his throat. Without hesitation I smoothly placed the kunai in my left hand edge-first on his throat, drawing a thin line of blood as I added a little bit of pressure. The second one in my right hand went point-first between his eyes, a small droplet of blood forming as I pierced the skin slightly.

The second kunai was strange, it had three prongs the one in the center—which was the point pricking Orochimaru's face—was longer than the two on the sides that were of equal length and from one-half to two-thirds the length of the one in the middle. Even to this day I remembered the man who gave this kunai to me when I was a child, and why. The Fourth Hokage—who had given it to me—had told me if I ever needed extreme protection then all I had to do was smear a little of my blood directly on the kanji that was on the tag attached to the weapon and say help. But he had also told me it was only for dire emergencies, like a kidnapping. All I have to say is that I was one interesting child, but back to now.

"Over my dead body, Orochimaru." I hissed. The man in question quickly withdrew his head, eye still wide, but now thoughtful. He grinned, and my eyes narrowed to slits.

"So… You are alive after all…" It was not a question.

"Obviously… Now leave before I do kill you. Sanin or not." I ordered, tightening my grip on my kunais.

He bowed mockingly. "Yes… One-of-Two…" Orochimaru smirked as he straightened. "But you have caught my eye. I may mark you instead of the boy." And with that with that he was gone in a big puff of smoke, his summoning disappearing too.

I sighed. I had tried all of my life to avoid direct attention, but now, after my sudden reappearance, that was gone for good. Although that objective had been hard to begin with.

"Wh-Who are you?" The pink-haired girl asked as she finally got over the loss of breath and the shock of a stranger appearing and helping her team out during the Chunin Exams.

"Right now that is not important." I said heading over to the tree Naruto hung from. With ease I jumped onto the tree trunk and stuck to it. Carefully I grabbed the blonde to where I could hold his weight as I yanked the kunais that held him up out of the tree bark; I completely ignored the complaints from the girl as I caught the orange wearing boy gently. I put all three of my kunai back into my weapons pouch on my leg and lazily threw the girl her kunai back, and the knife, after traveling in a smooth arc up and then back down, managed to lodge itself into the bark in front of her feet, sending up a shattering of splinters. The girl squeaked in shock before tugging the weapon out from the branch.

"Come on!" I told them over my shoulder. I hopped away after I had adjusted Naruto so he was limply riding piggyback. "I'm not gonna bite! Plus all the teams in the entire forest with chakra sensing ninjas are probably on their way here because of the chakra output from the battle, so get a move on!"

Grudgingly, the two followed me as they saw my point, and slowly we made our way through the forest with me in the lead. After about an hour, I stopped in a clearing with a tree that had a strangely shaped root structure that I realized would provide some protection when the gap under the roots was camouflaged. On the clear patch of dirt under the roots I slowly laid Naruto down.

As discretely as possible with the two exhausted genin catching up and walking over, I lifted the boy's coat, shirt, and fishnet-like material to peer at the black seal that was on his stomach. What I saw made me scowl. Orochimaru had placed an odd number pronged seal—a five-pronged seal—over an even numbered pronged seal—an eight-pronged seal. Even I though I did not know much about complex seals such as the ones I was currently looking at I knew that the odd-over-even seal placement was not good whatsoever. Quickly I pulled his shirt back down to cover the overlapping seals, but my expression must have shown my discontentment over the discovery.

"What's wrong?" The girl asked as Sasuke glared at me for being near his comrade.

"Hmmm? Oh, well Orochimaru did something, but it didn't cause and damage as far as I can see… I find that very strange…" I stated knowing full well that the fact of the Nine-Tails in Naruto was a very big secret in Konoha.

"Oh…"

I stood up and prepared to leave by walking to the edge of the clearing, but was stopped by Sasuke.

"Where are you going?" He asked accusingly, and from the drop in his chakra I knew his Sharingan was activated.

"Away." I said simply as I took a step forward. "I advise you to deactivate your Sharingan, Sasuke Uchiha. Right now it's a waste of chakra, and you need all of it you have." I took another step forward before throwing over my shoulder, "And please tell old man Third that the One-of-Two is alive and kicking"

I laughed and shot off, leaving two very confused, and one unconscious, genin behind in the Forest of Death.

**N-N-N**

Reaching into the water I scooped some water into my cupped hands and splashed my face, distorting my reflection below me. Face dripping with droplets of the liquid, I waited in my crouch for the ripples in the small pond to stop spreading outward in rings, and finally got to see my reflection as the water settled. My weary eyes that were a color between black and a pale, purple-silver giving one the impression that I was blind, stared back at me. I blinked and my eyes were black when they opened as I concentrated on having a semi-normal eye color, but from the right angle I knew there was still a faint silvery sheen. With a sigh I ran my fingers through my short hair, missing my long hair but not the hassle of the upkeep, but I enjoyed the boyish style more. Tearing my gaze away from my reflection I gazed into the orange-red sky of twilight.

"That boy is still the same as always I see…" I thought aloud as the shadows slowly lengthened. "He's got his father's eyes and spiky hair, but his mother's face and listen-to-me attitude. If only the two of you were still here… Whiskers may not want to admit it but he needs the people around him, ten times more than they need him. He needs a family and that's what they are, his family. But most of all he needs his parents. I just don't see why you did what you did, Fourth. The closet thing he has to a parent or grandparent figure is old man Sarutobi…"

I let my words hang heavy in the air, and then I was filled with an overwhelming, heart-wrenching guilt. Closing my eyes tight, I bit my lip almost hard enough to draw blood, letting my concentration over my eye color waver. I opened my eyes once more and looked down at my reflection and stared directly into my blind-like eyes.

"I'm just at fault though…" I murmured putting my heads in my hands, digging my elbows into my knees. "I left and I was one of the only ones he could have had a chance to relate to… Plus I didn't judge him because of that night unlike most of the village… So there is no way that I can say anything about you, Fourth. I'm sorry, Naruto. So very sorry…"

"But I can't wallow in my own misery. I have to get ready for the ANBU to come and find me like I know they will. Someone had to have felt my little stunt." I stood up from my crouch and stretched my arms and legs until the limbs trembled. "There's no way Danzo will pass up the chance to get me into the village again. I'm way too useful a ninja for another land to get; more like a tool rather than ninja though. But that's all that old cod sees me as, a tool, plus he wants my special ocular abilities."

I smirked; turning towards my campsite hidden in the trees that surrounded the pond. I loved this place, it was not too far away from Konoha for me to loose information with the Hidden Village, but still not close enough for easy detection from ANBU ninjas that would patrol often. And it was just down right peaceful. Thoughtfully I looked back at the sky and with a shock realized how late it was; it was almost dark! Almost time for the second stage of the Chunin Exams to be over with.

"Then again… I may pay a visit to Konoha for the preliminaries. It'll give old man Third a shock seeing me again, let alone the pink-haired girl and Sasuke. I wonder how Naruto will react…? When he saw me I think he sort-of recognized me…" I grinned as I felt all three of the children's chakras get closer to the cluster of stronger chakras, one that I knew was the old man's. "A preliminary reappearance. That sounds good. The question now is how to get there without being spotted by the jounin or the ANBU…"

**N-N-N**

I watched the battles of the preliminaries take place before me in a spacious room with a balcony going almost all the way around the room except for one side. That one side of the room was taken up by a large rock sculpture of a ninja hand-sign that went from floor to almost ceiling height. I was using a high-level genjutsu to keep myself from being seen as I hid in one of the room's corners. So far I had enjoyed my self though there had been a few close calls of me being caught judging from the weird glances that my corner was receiving from some of the jounin. Granted there was no harm in me being caught except that with all the jounin level ninja in the room I would more than likely be forced to activate my bloodline traits that were special just for me in defense if they all decided to attack; or I could only activate half of it.

But one thing that I congratulated myself on was a note that I had gotten to old man Third without being caught by any ANBU that were patrolling. In the note I had told him that the One-of-Two, me, might decide to show up to the prelims. So I figured that he should be on the lookout for myself.

The fight that I had enjoyed the most though was Naruto's fight against a boy named Kiba from the Inuzuka Clan and his ninja hound, Akamaru. I had heard that the blonde was the one of the most unpredictable ninjas in existence, or at least the village, but I had not really taken it to heart until I saw his match. In the end I had a hard time keeping myself from laughing my head off at the astonished looks on the majority of the genin and jounin from Konoha. Their faces were just priceless! Although I could have sworn that Sarutobi kept glancing to my hiding place with amusement as well as questions in his eyes as if my genjutsu was not phasing him a bit; and, knowing him, it probably was not.

Right then two Hyugas were on the floor. Hinata, the heiress of the main household, and Neji, Hinata's cousin of the branch family, had just gotten into their identical fighting stances as they prepared for the proctor to give them the okay. When the battle started mentally I cheered for the heiress who, although she was easily out-classed by the elder Hyuga, would not back down. I realized that she had taken a page from Naruto's book and smiled, but that smile melted off of my face as Neji struck a low blow for the girl's heart; not a glancing blow but a killing blow. Hinata coughed up a clot of blood before she dropped down and the proctor called the matched finished and Neji the winner. Medic ninjas rushed in and carried the girl out of the room quickly.

I scowled, and was pretty sure that my eyes turned the same purple-pearl color as both Hyugas. Blinking, I tried to turn my eyes back to their normal color, and missed and exchange between Neji and someone but I did notice the prodigy's demeanor pull a one-eighty. The Hyuga stiffened, and that made me tense as well; something about his posture bothered me. Then it hit me; he was trying to keep his composure and not to attack someone. I looked to the other person, and saw Naruto. Immediately my eyes narrowed. If Neji even moved the wrong way towards Naruto I was going to stop him. Vaguely I noticed Sarutobi gaze at my corner as my genjutsu faltered slightly.

Faintly I saw the Hyuga's leg shift, and that was all the warning I needed. I dropped my genjutsu and by the time he started to move I had moved in front of the blonde. As the Hyuga boy extended his arm I caught it by the wrist, and did the same to the other arm as it shot forward too.

I saw his pearl colored eyes widened as he looked at me the veins around his eyes that came with his bloodline being activated disappeared as he let the Byakugan deactivate. For a few seconds we stared each other in the eyes before I let his wrists go and he took a surprised step back. Looking at the metal plate on his headband with a stylized leaf engraved onto it I saw my eyes fading from silver to their median black-silver coloring. The room was silent, all eyes trained on me, all curious besides Sarutobi's, but some were suspicious.

It was Naruto that broke the infuriating silence and asked the question on the majority of minds present, "Who are you?"

"I can answer that, Naruto," we turned and faced Sarutobi who was the one who had spoken. The old man was smiling kindly as all eyes turned to him instead while he looked me in the eye.

I grinned sheepishly at the old man. "It's been awhile, hasn't it, old man Sarutobi?"

The elderly ninja chuckled, shaking his head slightly at my bluntness. "Yes, it has. And for your question, Naruto, her name is Egao…" Sarutobi looked at me questionably, wondering if he should continue or should I pick it up.

I sighed, telling him I was taking the later choice, before I drew in a deep breath in preparation for what I was about to say, because no there was no turning back now. I could feel all eyes on me. "My name is Egao Hyuga Uchiha…" I proclaimed in a loud, carrying voice and was greeted by a stunned silence.

**Author's Notes:** I got really bored in school one day and I started typing this story on the notepad on my kindle because I got a random thought of Hyuga and Uchiha bloodlines in one person. Now that sounds interesting doesn't it? Oh, and I get to use the name Egao! Yay! Hope that this is enjoyed, and if enough people like it—showing their approval by reviews—I may continue the story, but it will be slowly updated because I have two stories and this one I have to follow, or at least semi-follow, the manga. So please review.

REVIEW

V


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I can't believe I forgot this last chapter. I own none of the characters or the original plot, but I own Egao and the changes that I make.

Chapter Two

It was Sasuke that broke the silence this time when he half yelled, "You can't be and Uchiha!" I turned to face him, craning my neck to see him as he stood on the balcony, his incomplete Sharingan blazing. "All the Uchihas except for me and… Another are dead!"

"Oh really, Sasuke…?" I said, looking him straight in the eyes. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sarutobi give me a tiny nod, telling me I could go on with my train of thought—that man could always read my mind, and it baffled me. I blinked, and in that blink I activated my own, completed, Sharingan. When my eyes opened I stared at the young Uchiha, and he took a surprised step back.

"Im-Impossible!" The avenger stuttered, crimson eyes wide. He tried treating it as a genjutsu, performing a handsign and saying, "Release!" Unsurprisingly, it did not work.

I deactivated my Sharingan, and turned back to the Third Hokage, only to find a masked ninja with silver, gravity defying hair standing in my way. He had one black eye while the other supported a completed Sharingan with a jagged scar running vertically down the center of the top and bottom eyelids. Immediately I knew who this man was.

"Are you really who you say you are, because last I heard Egao was proclaimed dead!" Kakashi asked, not budging from where he stood while a hand drifted in an almost lazy and casual manner to the weapons pouch on his waist.

I rose an eyebrow at the scarecrow, all the other Leaf ninjas in the room had tensed at his words, but he had a solid reason for his question; I _was_ supposed to be dead. For an answer I reached into the weapons pouch on my leg, making Kakashi tense, all traces of his lazy demeanor vanishing, and I pulled out the three-pronged kunai with an exaggerated smile of innocence. "This proof enough, Kakashi?"

The copycat ninja's mix-matched eyes widened as he took in the weapon and his brain slowly registered what he was seeing. His gaze was solely focused on the paper with two kanji marked on a white piece of seal paper that was plastered around the handle. One kanji was for a transportation jutsu and the other was so only certain people could keep the weapon for a period longer than a second without getting burned after that period of time. Only people related to me or the Fourth Hokage by blood could wield it. The second kanji had clearly been written in blood if the crimson-like color was anything to go by, while the transportation one was written in standard black ink.

"If that isn't enough for you I have one more thing too…" I told him, switching the kunai to my left hand and reaching for the weapons pouch on my waist. As I slipped my hand into the bag my fingers brushed against cool metal and cloth. Grabbing the item by the metal, I pulled out a ninja headband with a black cloth band and a metal plague. I opened my hand and showed him the spiraling arrow-like-leaf engraving on the center of the metal surface. Flipping it over after letting the copycat ninja inspect it for a few seconds I revealed the Uchiha crest—a white and red fan-like shape—crudely sewn onto the cloth behind the metal pate and a spiraling red circle was sewn on right next to it. Clearly a more experienced hand than the one that had sewn the Uchiha crest on the black cloth had cleanly sewed the spiral on.

"I hope that was enough to prove my identity, Kakashi," I said as I put my headband and kunai back into their respective pouches. The still, slightly, stunned copy ninja nodded and pulled his headband back down to cover his Sharingan eye. I barely resisted the urge to roll my eyes at him. I may be a woman but sometimes I did not act my age, or even close to it.

"Egao…" I heard Naruto breathe. I looked over my shoulder at the young ninja, as he was lost in thought. Then I barely heard him sigh, "Why does that sound vaguely familiar…?"

I looked at the boy for one more second, before a cough made me fully turn around to face another ninja. He did not seem too healthy to me, and the bags under his eyes did not help prove me wrong. The man coughed again reinforcing my opinion on him not being too healthy, then he said in a rough voice again, "If you would please go up on the balcony so we can start the next match."

"Ok." I shrugged; it did not bother me where I was just as long as I could watch the next few matches. "Hey, Whiskers!" I tapped Naruto on the shoulder, snapping him out of his trance only so he could glare at me.

"Don't call me 'Whiskers'. It's Naruto Uzumaki. Believe it!" He stated with his blue eyes determined.

I chuckled at him as we headed towards the stairs. "I know that, but I like the nickname Whiskers. It fits."

"Why?" He asked as we passed Asuma and his team and almost made me bust out into laughter as I respectfully nodded to the son of the Third Hokage who was smoking a cigarette like normal, and I about missed the jounin's returning nod and slight curving upwards of his lips. The man's team looked at me with curious eyes except for the boy Shikamaru who looked at me calculatingly; the genin nodded at my gaze, and I ever-so-slightly dipped my head in response.

"Well, you have six whisker-like marks on both of your cheeks, three on each, Naruto," I teased him, "so it makes sense to me."

"Yeah, that's true… Wait a second! You said my name!" The blonde jinchuuriki exclaimed as we got to where his team was, making me laugh finally. I saw Naruto's blue eyes widen slightly as I laughed, as if something had semi-clicked into place, but that epiphany was short-lived as Sasuke muttered something.

"What was that, Sasuke?" I questioned the dark, duck-butt-like, haired boy while the pink-haired girl, whose name I had learned as Sakura, stared at me with wide, emerald eyes that were framed by her now short hair. The young Uchiha glared at me as Kakashi nonchalantly watched and listened to the scene unfolding before him.

"I said, 'Dobe.'" Sasuke said coldly to me as a response, before he looked back at the opponent selector machine as the opponent rectangles flashed orange as names blinked rapidly on them, then they settled on Rock Lee and Gara from the Sand.

Before the selection was over though I saw Gara disappear in a tornado of sand and reappear on the floor in the same fashion, his arms never leaving their crossed position over his chest. After a talk with his instructor Gai about the power of youth or something along the line—I did not pay attention to the little speech to keep myself from bursting out in uncontrolled laughter—Lee jumped from the balcony, over the railing, and to the floor. Something called me to activate my Sharingan and I received a funny, sideways look from Sasuke, but the boy did not comment on my choice his thoughts clear on his face: _Waste of chakra._

The proctor looked at both ninjas. Gara had his arms still crossed and Lee was in a strange taijutsu stance. Assured they were ready, the proctor said go as he hoped out of the danger zone and immediately Gara's sand flew forward without him moving an inch. I easily saw the dirt move and with my Sharingan I saw Lee's movements before they happened, but I could not predict the sand.

Drawing my eyebrows together, I made a handsign and breathed out, "Byakugan!" Immediately I breathed in sharply at the amount of chakra that Gara had, but that was not what worried me. Yes, he did have an insane amount of chakra, but it was the fact that it was dark and unstable that unnerved me. I felt Kakashi's questioning, one-eyed gaze on the back of my head because of my sharp intake of breath as well as my slowly depleting chakra reserves from having both of my ocular jutsus active at one time. All I said was, "Feel the chakra output…"

"Ms. Egao—" Sakura started, but I cut her off.

"Please, just call me 'Egao', Sakura. I know that you're trying to be respectful but when people call me 'Miss' I feel old."

"Egao, what do you mean by the chakra output? Whose chakra are you talking about?" The pink-haired girl tried again. I turned to her and she gasped at my silvery Sharingan-Byakugan.

"Whoa!" I heard Naruto exclaim when he glanced away from the fight momentarily and saw my eyes.

"Something is different about that sand boy's chakra. It doesn't feel quite right…" I faced the fight again just in time to see Lee take off his hideous, orange leg warmers that were actually leg weights. The weights hit the floor with a tremendous _BOOM _and a giant cloud of dirt billowed up as the ground was crushed underneath them.Then he attacked with renewed, and amazing, speed that even my Sharingan-Byakugan had trouble keeping track of.

Sand shot up and blocked all of Lee's attacks as Gara looked around bewildered as Lee attacked from one side and then another. The sand ninja could not consciously keep up with the spandex clad genin but his sand could. I could see the chakra in the sand, but for some reason it seemed like it was a mixture between two chakras and one was doing all of the defending; the thing was is that it was not Gara's natural chakra.

My eyes widened as I suddenly realized why that was. Gara had a demon in him just like Naruto, and it was giving the boy chakra to move the sand. I tore my yes off of the fight to look at the other sand ninjas. What I saw made my eyes narrow a minuscule amount in thought. The other sand ninjas looked slightly worried. One ninja was a blonde girl that was a fan specialist, her giant fan strapped to her back. Another was a boy with a hood and had his face painted who was a puppet master if I were to judge by the wrapped thing on his back and the little bit that I remembered from his battle that I had not really been watching intently. Their jounin who had half of his face covered by veil-cloth that was attached to his head covering. The jounin turned his head feeling my eyes and met my gaze, the one eye that I could see narrowed to a slit as he glared and the half if his face melted into a scowl.

That quick look made me almost miss what happened next on the floor, but the increase of chakra made me look at the fight. Lee's face turned tomato red and his already ridiculous speed increased tenfold. I gasped as I realized what the genin was doing; I was ignoring Kakashi and his student's questions in favor for watching as best as I could. Lee zoomed around the room, and finally got past the boy's "ultimate defense" and landed a punch on Gara. Though instead of blood trickling down and pooling on the floor sand fell from the jinchuuriki's face as it cracked.

Looking at both boys' chakra networks I bit my lip. Lee's network was at the limit, and the chakra points were strained to their max. Gara's network on the other hand was starting to fill with an evil chakra and my eyes widened slightly as a maniacal glint entered his green eyes. The chakra shot into the sand when the red head lifted his hand and I could have swore that I saw the boy mouth, or say, _"Make me feel alive…"_ I closed my eyes but with my Byakugan activated I could still see what happened through my eyelids. I did not deactivate it as I prepared myself for the pain that Lee was about to express; I may not have been squeamish but I disliked the fact of another person's pain, and the face he or she would make.

"Sand Coffin!" I heard Gara rasp as the chakra infused sand surrounded Lee. Suddenly the sand swarmed towards the green-clad boy with a whoosh, and the small movement on Gara's part of his hand closing from a choke-hold-like shape into a fist. I saw Lee try to move out of the way, but even he could not beat the speed of the sand as it crushed his left arm and leg. The fighter cried out in pain before the sand dropped him and he hit the floor with a thud unconscious. I opened my eyes, deactivating both of my bloodline traits as I did so.

Immediately Gara was declared the winner and the entirety of the sand boy's sand zoomed back to him as his gourd reformed on his back. Gai jumped over the railing as Lee stood up and resumed a fighting stance.

"Lee, it's…" the taijutsu began but trailed off when he took a good look at his pupil. The genin was glassy-eyed; he was still unconscious as he stood there, gazing in a half-lidded manor into space. The jounin started to cry slightly as medic ninjas rushed in and took the young warrior away.

I averted my eyes, not in shame, but respect for the teacher, and, without meaning, to I ended up looking at Gara who had gone up to the balcony once again, and saw the hate and jealousy in his eyes. As if he felt my gaze he turned his head to look at me, green eyes glaring. Unafraid of the jinchuuriki boy I calmly gazed right back. I could feel the other sand ninjas' wary gazes flicking back and forth between Gara and me, but I ignored them for the glaring contest between the two of us. He was the one to break eye contact, surprising his teammates. There was a moment's triumph but that was washed away by the cold chills that started to run down my spine.

Instinctively I shivered slightly and looked around for the source of my discomfort. My eyes locked onto a ninja form the Sound. He—I was pretty sure it was a he—was staring at Sasuke with hungry eyes but apparently felt my eyes and when he turned his gaze on me, my blood ran cold. The ninja was pale with dark eyes that were outlined by even darker black. We ignored the next match completely as a boy named Choji from the Leaf and a Sound ninja went down to the floor. The Sound nin easily took out the Leaf's rookie. I knew whom that Sound ninja on the balcony really was, Orochimaru. I glared at the man telling him quite clearly with my eyes to stay away from Naruto and Sasuke or he would face the full force of my wrath. The ex-Sanin smiled, clearly not intimidated by me.

Vaguely I heard the proctor pronounce that all the winners should report to the floor immediately while everyone else should leave. This order is what broke the glaring contest that the "Sound" ninja and me had been having when he poofed away. I was about to do the same as I watched Naruto and Sasuke go down the step—the blonde jinchuuriki bouncing.

"Egao," Sarutobi said as he saw me preparing to leave his voice commanding, "stay. We need to talk."

Biting back a sigh I descended the steps too and stood as close to the Third Hokage as the four masked ANBU that had just popped up would let me. When they drew the names for the final stage of the Chunin Exams I about laughed when Naruto was paired up with Neji in the first match, with the knowledge that the Hyuga with a stick up his butt was going to get something else. I frowned though when Sasuke got paired up with Gara, the later getting a crazy glint in his eyes at the prospect of fighting the Uchiha. The rest, besides Shikamaru, I could care less about, but that boy had the making to become a great shinobi some day with his amazing strategizing capability.

After having the fact that the finals would be held in a month announced to them all of the genin left. The two genin from team seven gave me funny looks but I waved them off as the slowed down for questions. I also gave them a look that said later, and grudgingly they left, glancing over their shoulders before they left the room finally. Once the room was clear of genin and only Sarutobi, the four ANBU, and me remained Sarutobi turned to me.

"Why?" He asked his voice holding an edge to it that was not there earlier.

"Not the place, Sarutobi." I replied simply and in a rude fashion. "And you know it."

"Then tonight." He said knowing that I understood perfectly what he meant.

"Yes, sir." I turned to leave but faced him again, pulling out my headband and presented it to him. He looked at it thoughtfully as I questioned in a slightly hopeful voice, "Can I?"

"Yes, but only to avoid questions." He said and I bowed before he left with the ANBU following after him.

With him out of the room the large space felt eerie as I tied my headband around my head. Once it was secured with a quick snapping and sliding sound of cloth I ran my left hand through my hair and sighed. That was when I felt a sudden appearance of a chakra in the room. Not turning around after ensuring that the chakra was not meaning me harm and recognizing it I asked, "Yes, Kakashi?"

"How did you know?" the scarecrow asked as he stepped up beside me.

"I've felt you chakra enough times from when I was little and living in Konoha," I laughed. "Not to mention that you would be in Minato's office quite frequently. You never stopped taking missions and being productive, although you did tend to be a little late sometimes…"

"So you really are the little girl from long ago. The one that sensei…" The silver-haired man trailed off.

"Yes. The one that Minato and Kushina adopted." I finished his sentence and unanswered questions. I turned my back to the elder man showing in unspoken words that I trusted him. "Egao Hyuga Uchiha Namikaze Uzumaki. A mouthful but Kushina loved it for some reason…" After the words had left my mouth I disappeared from the room in a poof of smoke, leaving Kakashi alone to ponder over the information that I had just given him. I reappeared on top of the Hokage monument, right over the likeness of the Fourth's face, and sat down in wait of nightfall.

**Author's Notes:** Hope that you guys and gals liked it because I know that it is short, but next chapter is going to be a whole lot longer, I promise. Sorry for any mistakes, I know that they are there.


	3. Chapter 3

** Disclaimer:** Own nothing at all. Well, except for Egao and the subtle, or big, changes that I make to the Naruto story line.

Chapter Three

I stood up and stretched making my cramped muscles scream in protest. The sun had finally set and I looked over the village that I had spent the first ten years of my life in. It looked so peaceful and I could not help but smile before I hopped down from the monument. The wind whistled in my ears as I fell and clawed at my hair and clothes. I landed on the platform on top of the Hokage building with barely a sound, rolling to break my fall slightly and for the heck of it—I was fully capable of landing on my feet and not getting injured. Suddenly the same four masked ANBU from earlier surrounded me.

"Follow me." One with a falcon mask ordered and from the voice I guessed it was a woman. With a shrug of my shoulders I followed the ninja as she took the lead with the other three positioning themselves one on my left, right, and then behind me.

"I'm not gonna run off…" I muttered as I was led into the building and to a hallway with a plush red carpet. Just for the heck of it I added "And I know where the Hokage's office is. I've been there enough times before."

As the ANBU in front of me opened a plain wooden door I heard her softly breathe a sigh. Inwardly I smiled a goofy smile as I could practically see the thought bubble above her head that read: "Just like Naruto… Great…" She led me into the office and I saw Sarutobi sitting behind his desk with one, extremely large stack of paperwork on one corner. The pungent smell of the pipe he was smoking reached my nose making me crinkle it slightly. The ANBU nodded before leaving but I knew they were not going to go too far. The door softly closed behind the as they left and the room was filled with an uncomfortable silence between the old man and me.

"So…" I trailed off at Sarutobi's gaze that bored into me. I resisted my first instinct to draw a kunai as I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as my neck muscles tensed.

"Why did you leave and not come back, instead faking your own death?" He asked in a demanding voice that had an abnormally sharp edge in his normally kind, gentle, and calm voice. "You left him all alone with no family whatsoever!"

"I left to protect him!" I responded in kind preventing myself from yelling, but just barely.

"How could you protect him when you weren't here in Konoha?" He shot back in the same uncharacteristically angry voice. "You are the closest thing he has to a family member! You just left him to fend for himself! The village—"

"I know what the village did, and that's exactly why I left!" I halfway yelled with increased volume than before, making him go silent. "The villagers hate me just as much as they hate him! They hurt him even more than they did myself, and in doing so they knew they were hurting me in a way that physical pain can never hurt!"

Sarutobi's eyes widened and his mouth opened to say something but I continued, not letting him say a single word. Normally I would never even think about raising my voice at anyone, let alone Sarutobi, but the emotions that I have had bottled up for ten years were resurfacing all at once.

"I would be held by someone so there was no chance that I could escape and was forced to watch my foster brother be beaten." My eyes closed as the memories came back but I forced them to the side for now. I snapped them opened and turned to look out of the huge window in the office and continued in a pain filled voice. "This is why I was able to activate my Sharingan when I was nine, on his second birthday too as you well remember…"

*****FLASKBACK*****

"Come on, Naruto!" I said as I waited for the two-year-old to pick out a mask for himself for his birthday and pick one for me too. The mask cart's clerk was glaring at him in hatred as he browsed with his eyes the collection, but I leveled a glare right back at her, daring her to try something. She shot me an even more venomous look and I returned it with full force as my eyes flickered from a pale, silvery purple to a dark black before finally settling on the stalemate of silvery black where they normally resided.

"I'm hurrying, Egao!" The blonde replied before he saw a mask that resembled a dog but I recognized it as a fox. For one terrible moment I thought he was going to pick that one then he pointed to a toad and then a tiger mask. "Those two! The toad for me and the tiger for you, Egao!" He exclaimed as he looked up at me.

"Ok. Let me get the money out then I'll get them." I smiled as I pulled out the exact amount of money for both masks and handed it to the clerk who made a very plain face that said she was disgusted by me being near her and at the prospect of actually touching my skin. "The toad and the tiger masks please."

Still glaring openly at the two-year-old and then at me the clerk snatched the money out of my hand as quickly as possible. Then she jerked the two masks down and thrust them at me. She hissed out, "Here! Now get that Demon away from me, Bastard!"

With a sigh of disappointment of her attitude I took the masks from the small counter uttering a soft thank you before dragging Naruto away by his hand as he looked at the woman warily. After going to the next corner I finally stopped, letting go of the blonde's hand from my death-grip on it and handed him his toad mask. With his megawatt fox-like grin on his face he took the mask from me and put it on.

"How does it look?" He asked, the only part of his face visible was the bright blue eyes that peered through the eyeholes in the mask.

"Great!" I grinned before putting on my own mask. "How 'bout me?"

I could almost see his squinty face through the mask as he looked at me in thought. Finally he replied, his blue eyes glimmering from the slight light that reached them through the eyeholes, "Fierce!"

I laughed and ruffled his hair affectionately as the festival went on around us. Already two years had passed since the Fourth Hokage had passed away from sealing away the Nine-Tailed Fox and I missed my adopted father greatly. Even my adopted mother had died that night and I missed her and her attitude too. Pulling myself out of my thoughts though, I said, "Let's go and enjoy your birthday, Squirt."

"Let's go get ramen!" The boy exclaimed before grabbing my hand and pulling me down the maze of streets to Ichiraku Ramen as I laughed.

_He really is your son dad! _I thought as the small boy steered me through the crowd. _No one loved ramen as much as you did! Well, except for Naruto! Even I don't love ramen that mush and you influenced me! I wonder who could win in an eating contest, you or him?_

When the restaurant was in sight I dug my heels into the ground, putting a little chakra into my feet as I did so, stopping the child from pulling me along in his tracks. For two seconds he pulled on my arm like a dog on the end of its leash before he finally gave up. He turned around and looked at me through his mask. When I was positive that I had his full attention I said, "Hate to say this but… We only have enough money for one bowl each, Naruto."

"Huh," he complained seeing as how I normally let him have at least two bowls, "how come?"

"The masks silly!" I said giving him a soft tap on the head. "You have a brain. Use it!"

He laughed before we headed off again me in the lead as I looked around for any hostile people. Thankfully I did not see anyone, but I tightened my grip on the young boy's hand nonetheless. We were almost to the restaurant when I suddenly felt Naruto's hand slip from mine. I heard a muffled cry and whipped around to see someone running down a dark alley with a squirming Naruto whose mask had fallen off of his face and was lying on the ground, broken into five pieces.

Anger burned through me and I ran after them. I felt my Byakugan activate and I saw all the chakra points in the man's body as stars on coiling strings, and saw nearly everything around me except for a small sliver behind me. The alley was a dead end and I realized too late that it was a trap as people dropped from the building behind me, blockading me in. I could tell that these ninjas were drunk from the festivity just from the smell that they gave off that overrode the alley's normal stench that was already putrid. One of the ninjas grabbed me and pulled my arms back until it was painful with my shoulder sockets strained and shoulder blades grinding together, and the one holding Naruto did the same to him. Naruto's blue eyes were filled with fear as he looked at me.

"Well. Well. Well. Itsa Demon andsa Bastard…" One of the drunkards slurred. All the others laughed as if he had told a hilariously funny joke, fear rose up in my chest making it harder to breath all of a sudden. Suddenly the man that spoke threw a punch that hit the center of my mask, effectively breaking it with a satisfying snapping sound, and I cried out in pain as the mask's broken pieces fell off of my face. Luckily my nose did not break or start bleeding, but my Byakugan did deactivate from my broken concentration.

Eyes watering from the pain I glared at him then growled out in an unladylike manner, "Asshole…"

"Why you little, Bastard!" he yelled out, his slur momentarily gone, and punched my stomach making me glad that I had not eaten anything recently. He struck once more and this time I spat up bile. He drew his arm back for another hit but a loud cry stopped him.

"Egao! Stop it! Stop hurting her!" Naruto cried out, his eyes burning with hatred and tears.

"So the Demon speaks…" Another ninja, the last of the four, muttered.

"I'm not a—"

"Shut up!" He growled as he buried his fist in the young boy's stomach, making the blonde stop mid-sentence, leaving the boy gasping for breath when the fist was withdrawn.

"Naruto! Leave him out of this! He's only a little kid!" I yelled at the man who had punched Naruto.

"Heheheheh… The Bastard cares for the Demon. The reason she is all alone because he killed her foster parents. While her real mother died in when she was born because of complications during her birth and her father didn't want anything to do with her, let alone the two clans her real parents hailed from…" The second assailant taunted making me bite my lip. His next words chilled me to the core. "Let's see how she likes this then. We're gonna kill the Demon. Slowly."

"NO!" I screamed before a hand clamped down over my mouth and I heard a voice say in my ear a whispered and venomous 'shut up.'

I could do nothing but watch in horror as the two ninjas with free hands beat my lovable foster brother for at least five minutes straight, but those five minutes felt like five hours to me. When Naruto hung limply from the man's grip unconscious with blood tricking down his face from a viscous blow to his head leaving a bright red stain in his hair, the first assailant that had punched me pulled out a long, wicked kunai. As I saw him bring the weapon up for the finishing blow I felt my eyes grow warm and change. It did not feel like the Byakugan at all and I grew curious as to what was going on when everything was brought to crystal clear reality. I could faintly see where the kunai wielding man's hand was going to go and knew what was different.

"Sharingan!" I yelled through the hand covering my mouth that muffled my words, making the single word sound sort of like a 'Don't kill him!' to the two hurting Naruto and they smirked evilly. Suddenly I bit the hand that was covering my mouth with a quick maneuvering of my head, and I heard a howl of pain above and behind me as I tried not to gag on the iron taste of the man's blood that was filling my mouth. The effect was immediate when the man let me go. Not pausing I did a low thing and kicked the man where no man should be kicked: the fork of his legs. He went down clutching himself with a high pitched scream that weakened to whimpers.

This drew the attention of the other ninjas but before there was any time to react I had already done the same to the man that did not hold the kunai. Then I turned to the man with the knife, plucking my own three-pronged kunai from the weapons pouch on my waist as I rushed him, and blocked the desperate killing strike at Naruto by lodging his kunai between two of the prongs of mine. Jerking my arm to the left side, I disarmed the drunk man who had started to become sober as adrenaline started to pump through his system, and snatched the kunai out of the air with my left hand, barely missing cutting my fingers on the blade.

Readjusting my grip on the new kunai, I glared at the ninja knowing he was looking into the crimson eyes of my newly acquired, uncompleted Sharingan with two comma-like marks in it around a single black pupil. He took a step back reaching for another weapon. His hand never even made it to the pouch as I kicked him as well, but slashed his face with his own kunai as he went down in anger, sending up a small spray of blood. I narrowly avoided his right eye as I slashed open a wound from the middle of his cheek almost to his ear.

"You're the bastard, Asshole..." I growled before I turned to face the man that held Naruto. He paled slightly as I said venomously, "Now. It's your turn."

He dropped Naruto and I caught the boy before he hit the ground then quickly set him down gently before I threw the already bloodied kunai at the escaping man. It hit him in the calf muscle and he dropped like a stone with a yell. Terrified, he turned to face me and pleaded, "Please! Mercy!"

This made my already boiling blood start to steam. "You ask for mercy from a nine-year-old girl when you didn't give any to a two-year-old!" I said softly my voice shaking with rage as slowly his hand went for one of his weapons pouches. "Don't. You. Dare."

He froze in his action. I took a step forward and towered over him and he shrunk back away from me. My foot shot out and hit his head, making him slump down the rest of the small distance to the ground from his propped up position on one of his elbows.

"Bast… Ard…" The man I had slashed growled out through pain-clenched teeth, his ride side bloodied. Glaring at him I strode over and picked him up by the front of his shirt with chakra-laden arms then threw him to the side and he hit the wall. His head smacked against the brick with a sickening crack and he slide down the wall, unconscious as well. Quickly I kicked the remaining two in the head, sending them both into the land of unconsciousness too.

Finally my fury ebbed, and I picked up Naruto who was still out cold as blood started to dry in his hair. I jumped onto the rooftop of one of the buildings with some trouble, Naruto's extra weight on my back throwing my balance off slightly. I bounded over the rooftops as fast as I could to put distance between the alley and us. After I had put a fair amount of distance in between I hopped down into one of the streets and took off towards the hospital with my newly acquired Sharingan ablaze.

As I wove through the crowd that cluttered the streets I saw a hand twitch out of the corner of my eye, one of the few advantages of being short because the twitch was eye-level. Reflexively I sprung out of reach my three-pronged kunai that was still in my hand at the ready as I distributed my weight as evenly as possible while trying to keep the blonde on my back. A wide circle cleared around me and the culprit and the surrounding crowd grew quiet in expectation.

"Bastard…" The man growled as he wielded a regular knife in his hand. He was a civilian and apparently thought that he could take care of the already hurt 'Demon' and finish off the 'Bastard' all at one time. His face was flushed, pink, and puffy and his eyes were small, black, and beady making him appear like he was having an allergic reaction to something.

"I advise you to let me go with no conflict, mister." I said in a deceptively calm voice while on the inside I was panicking slightly and my eyes flicked around for a gap in the circle. Finding none I thought of plan B for when the drunkard attacked like I knew he would.

"Die!" he cried as he lunged towards me completely ignoring my warning, that was when plan B hit my mind when my eyes alighted on awning. Easily I jumped up, rebounding off of his head at the right moment as I came back down, making him face plant into the dirt, and bounced off of the awning that I had seen earlier that was conveniently located outside of the circle of onlookers. They people that had been watching took too long to process what they had seen. By the time it had registered in their minds I was already around the corner.

When I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that no one was following me I ran headlong into a cart and bowled it over, breaking it in the process as well. As I went flying forward I flipped around so my back was facing the ground, simultaneously switching it to where I was holding Naruto in a bear hug as I landed, bearing in mind my kunai, trying to not let one of the tree prongs on the knife stab him. The small amount of air that was in my lungs was forced out of my lungs on impact with the ground and I struggled to regain it, my mouth opening and closing uselessly.

A shadow loomed over me as I finally got in a gasp of breath and I scrambled to my feet, trying to get Naruto on my back again. I had barely managed it when a broken piece of wood was swung at my head, and I ducked at the last second. The assailant's words fell on my deaf ears as I fled. At the end of the street I spotted a flash of red and white in the throng of people that either ignored the burden on my back and me or shots us hateful looks.

"Old man! Old man Third!" I cried out as I relaxed slightly at the glimpse that I had seen of the elderly man. The effect of my call was immediate. The crowd thinned as they crowded on the sides of the street, leaving a wide path for the two of us. Some did not move though, and only stopped where they were. I felt their gazes on me as I ran and instinctively clutched my kunai tightly.

"Old man Third!" I cried out again, desperately, as the street became deathly quite. The man in the traditional red and white Hokage robes turned and I saw his elderly face harden when he saw the conditions that Naruto and me were in. When I got close I did not even try to slow down and barreled into him forcing him to take a step back slightly to keep his balance. I felt his arms wrap around me in a hug as I buried my face into his robes.

"Egao, what happened?" He asked gently but sternly as he put me at his arms length and looked me in the eyes. His black eyes widened some seeing my Sharingan before they grew deadly serious as they narrowed.

"Near Ichiraku… Drunk ninja… Took Naruto… I chased him… Got caught to… They beat Naruto… 'Bout to kill him… Sharingan activated… Got free… Hurt the four men… They're unconscious in the alley… Ran with Naruto… Almost got into another fight… Ran again… Accidentally ran into a cart… Ran once more… Saw you and called out…" I panted as my exhaustion finally started to kick in.

"Where again?" He asked as his eyes flickered to look into the shadows.

"Alley near Ichiraku Ramen…" I gasped and he nodded almost imperceptibly and I barely saw something in the shadows of the edge of the street move but did not have the energy to look.

"Let's go to the hospital, Egao," Sarutobi said as he took Naruto off of my back carefully.

"Uh-huh…" I vaguely agreed and put my kunai away in my weapons pouch on my waist. I took one step to follow but by leg crumpled underneath me and suddenly the ground was rushing up to meet me. With a thud I hit the ground and immediately blacked out from chakra exhaustion.

*****END FLASHBACK*****

My head snapped around as the memory faded from my head and I looked at Sarutobi. The Hokage looked like he was thinking really hard about that day too, until he said something that was totally off topic to the memory.

"That still doesn't explain why—"

"Why I left." I finished in a bitter tone. "I left because of the chance of him dying because of me and because of one of the beatings was too great. Once it was common knowledge that I cared for him, there was an easy to get play toy to hurt me!

"I left so he wouldn't die!" I felt tears burn at my eyes but through sheer will I held them back. "I couldn't let that happen. If I did that I could never forgive myself for involuntarily killing Minato and Kushina's son. My foster brother!

"I left to save him from even more pain that would be because of me. One of the reasons that I'm back is because of him! There's—" A knock on the door interrupted my rant and I turned to glare at the door only to realize that my Sharingan-Byakugan had activated. With a controlled exhale of breath I deactivated them both, pushing my furry behind a wall.

"Come in." Sarutobi said and with a huff I plopped myself into the one extra chair on the other side of the desk in aggravation of being interrupted.

"This had better be important…" I grumbled as the door slowly started to creak open.

"I really hope you don't mind my interruption…" A male voice said and in the background there was a sigh that sounded like Kakashi. A man with white hair pulled into a long, bushy ponytail walked into the room followed by the scarecrow jounin. The stranger had metal plate with a kanji on it made it look like he had two little metal ears coming out of his forehead, painted red marks running from his eyes and down his cheeks, and a large scroll on his back for some odd reason.

"I am pretty sure that they do mind, Jiraiya…" Kakashi said lazily earning a glare from one of the legendary three Sanin.

"Yes, Jiraiya?" Sarutobi asked patiently as I sighed softly. At the slight noise Jiraiya looked at me.

"Who is this young lady?" Then white-haired man asked as his eyes roamed over me. My blood came to a boil when they only took in my curves and not my face.

"I advise you, Perverted Toad Sage, to either look at my face or not look at me at all…" I hissed and drew a kunai and threw it at him. He caught it easily like I had expected and I smirked.

"Uncalled for, really. I expect—YOW!" He cried out in pain after having the kunai in his hand for longer than one second. The toad sage dropped it and looked at the burn on his hand before his eyes traveled to the kunai on the floor as I got up to retrieve it. He gaped in shock before stuttering, "N-No way."

"What? Does throwing a kunai deserve that kind of reaction?" I asked innocently as I picked up the token from the Fourth and stood up straight twirling the kunai from the loop on the end.

Jiraiya's gaze lingered on the weapon before flitting up to my face. For a second they stopped on my headband before going to my eyes, but nothing clicked in his gaze until I let my concentration over my eye color stop. His own eyes widened as he took in my silvery black eyes. It was not until I gave him my goofy smile, so like Minato's it was scary, did the realization of my identity hit him.

"Egao…" he said in shock before his eyes flickered with anger; all the warning that I got before I was roughly shoved against the wall, but it was enough time for me to perform a handsign. My doppelganger poofed away just as I stood by the door. I was barely restraining my ocular jutsus from activating for defense, by my flickering black and silver eyes told the story.

"You…" He growled snapping around to face me. "You left him alone. You left Naruto, my godson, all alone!"

"Yes. And so did you." I said before finally giving in and activating my Sharingan when I saw a muscle in his arm spasm. "You left the two of us alone when you could have al least came by and checked on us, and if you had I might have never left. You are my godfather as much as Naruto's, dad made sure of that. And watch yourself, Jiraiya. I know that you are itching to attack me but I advise against it."

"Do NOT try and guilt me!" He said and the muscle in his arm jumped again. "You—!"

"Don't try making me guilty because I've had to live with my decision for ten years and I've lost more hours of sleep than I care to admit." I whispered in a carrying voice as my eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't… No. I couldn't let the beatings he received because of me continue.

"On more than one account I barely got us out of there alive, and only through sheer luck did I. The villagers wanted to kill the 'Hyuga-Uchiha Bastard' and the 'Demon'." I said my voice staying laced with pain. "I left him, my only family, and it was to save my brother-in-all-but-blood. To stop the beatings he received because of me. To let him have a better chance of even reaching the age of five!

"My heart broke when I left!" I snapped as my eyes flew open all of the way and the pressure from the tears I had been holding back broke and they rolled down my face. To hell with the no showing emotion rule of being a ninja, I did not care. "I had to force myself to leave with the belief that I was doing the best thing possible to help him! Even then I looked back constantly, and cried myself to sleep that night. I don't even know how I got the courage to fake my own death and run away! That was the biggest decision of my life and the thing was, I was only ten!

"I thought it was the right thing to do and it tore me apart but I never stopped watching. In every town or village I never stopped listening for information. Even though I somehow fooled the ANBU into thinking that I was dead and left I still cared!" I said, still not trying to stop the tears as the men slowly backed away from me in… fear? I did not ponder over it and continued.

"And now, ten years later, I come back because of him!" I continued and Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Do not play dumb and act like you have not heard, Jiraiya, because I know that you have. You listen to the whispers of new organizations as much as I do, if not more! I came back to protect him from this new threat, and no one is going to stop me from doing what I feel I must. Even if that means I must go against orders to protect him, even if I get labeled a missing nin, I will protect him." I finished and I could tell that my Byakugan had activated unintentionally in my anger during my tirade.

"What new organization?" Sarutobi asked as his pipe was momentarily forgotten as he placed on his desk still lit.

"Akatsuki…" Jiraiya answered his face going really serious.

I gave a sharp, bird-like nod then said; "I need to clear my head. I'm going on the roof." I did not even wait for a reply or to be dismissed before I left. None of the men tried to stop me either.

When I got onto the roof I went and sat on the railing opposite of the Hokage monument, craning my neck to look at the mountainside. I looked directly at Minato's face and laughed when it hit me why none of the men stopped me.

"I gave the three a fleeting impression of Kushina!" I chuckled as I finally let my silvery Sharingan-Byakugan deactivate. I was totally unaware of the hungry eyes gleaming in the darkness that were trained on me until it was too late.

A rustle of clothes and the soft scuff of sandals on the ground made me turn with a kunai clutched in my hand after the limb had shot into one of my weapons pouches and back out with the weapon. My eyes warmed as I activated my Byakugan-Sharingan and my silver eyes widened at the kunai coming my way from behind. I threw myself to the side and the world blurred as I rolled. When I stopped I was kneeling and threw the kunai at the cluster of stars on a coil of strings that was a chakra network was. The person disappeared and I realized it was a clone and I whirled around as another cluster came up from my left. I used another kunai and stabbed this one in the stomach. Again the cluster dispersed and I prepared myself for another underhanded surprise attack.

"Very good…" A familiar hissing voice said from nowhere but everywhere. I knew what the ninja was using, ventriloquism. He or she was trying to unnerve me.

"Come out you coward!" I said before half a dozen people suddenly surrounded me and they attacked. I saw a sword coming towards me and snapped my hands together to perform a handsign. A sword ran through my gut but I smirked and that me poofed away revealing a log in its stead as I had barely managed to use a substitution at the last second. In the shadows, where I really was, I watched as the people poofed away and a cold hand on my arm made me jump and stab the person in the neck right below the jaw by reflex.

"How…?" I asked perplexed as the person poofed away too.

"What does it matter, One-of-Two…"

My eyes grew wide and I froze for a split second as I placed the familiar voice. That second was all Orochimaru needed. A searing pain went through my right shoulder as cold hands gripped my shoulders, holding me down. Doing my best to ignore the pain I kept my Byakugan-Sharingan activated and jabbed out with chakra-infused fingers over my shoulder at his neck. My fingers barely hit the cluster that I wanted to and I was free. Spinning around I continued to jab all the clusters in his torso and arms as fast as I possibly could. When I was done he was barely standing but when he smirked I knew it was a clone even before it poofed away.

"Damn it…" I muttered as I dropped to my knees. The pain hit me again and I bit back a cry and forced myself to stay awake as blackness started to swarm the edges of my mind. A figured appeared before me and all that I saw was the glowing, amber, cat-like eyes.

"Finally! The Sharingan is mine!" The snake crowed and I dug into my reserves of chakra that were left and a few memories flashed through my head. All of them were about a technique and Minato.

*****FLASHBACK*****

"Can you teach me a ninja move, dad?" I asked the tall blonde after I had come to the Fourth's office directly from the ninja academy.

He looked up from one of the papers that he was forced to go over. His bright blue eyes were thoughtful as he gazed at me as I gave him my best pleading, puppy dog look. The blonde smiled and said, "Why not!"

From nowhere a water balloon appeared in his hand and he tossed it to me. Deftly I caught it and looked at the brightly colored balloon in confusion. At my confused face he laughed.

"Make the water inside the balloon swirl around with your chakra alone. When it is spinning make the water spike out, but keep it spinning at the same time, and you have to pop the balloon." He instructed. As an afterthought he added, "And go outside if you don't mind. I wouldn't be good if water got everywhere."

"Yes, sir!" I exclaimed happily, pushing my long hair behind my ears before running out of the room with the water-filled balloon in hand, he chuckled at my enthusiasm. I did as he told me to and went to the roof. Putting the balloon in my right hand I pushed my chakra into it and imagined the water was spinning and spiking out at the same time. Tiny lumps appeared on the balloon membrane and I stopped suddenly and sat down at the concentration that I needed to do this. "This is harder than I thought…"

Another memory intruded.

"Now, do the same thing with this rubber ball that you did with the water balloon," Minato said handing me a ball that I could barely fit in the palm of my hand.

"Ok. But what move are you teaching me?" I asked looking up into his blue eyes.

"A special one of mine that I created," he smiled. "Rasengan." He held out his right hand and above it a blue-green sphere of wildly spiraling chakra formed.

"Whoa…"

The memory changed again.

"This is the last step before you can start forming the actual technique." The blonde man said before handing me a balloon full of air. "Put all of the power that you needed to pop the ball into the balloon, but do not pop it."

"What!" I protested looking at him and hoping that he was joking. The look on his face said otherwise.

"Power and control. You need to control the spiraling chakra but you have to do it without decreasing the power. You can't let it spike out either. Imagine the chakra forming a tight ball and that there is an invisible membrane on the inside of the balloon so the power doesn't touch the balloon at all. It's just a tempest in your hand."

"Ok… I'll try, dad." I said and I attempted to do what he had instructed. The balloon exploded and the released power sent me flying into a tree in the backyard of our house.

"Do you really think this is a good idea, Minato?" Kushina asked as I got up again with a groan and got another balloon from a large pile to try again. "She is only seven."

"She's been working on the technique for a year. Plus she will not give up on it and her progress and chakra control is astounding for someone her age. She keeps wearing that plain black headband that you gave her with the Uzumaki spiral on it and the Uchiha crest and she wears it like it's a ninja headband when she is working on the technique, and only then. I imagine that when she gets her headband she'll put the plate with the leaf insignia on it to that headband instead of leaving it on the headband she receives it on." Minato said as another balloon exploded in my face sending me flying again, but not as far since I put a little chakra into my feet to try and stay still.

"But she's still only a little girl," Kushina said resting her hands on her swollen belly.

"Yes, but she has a stubbornness that is hard-pressed to be rivaled by anyone."

"You rubbed off on her."

"Hey!" Minato said in a jokingly hurt tone as once more a balloon exploded in my face. "You're stubborn to!"

A final memory flashed through my head.

I stood panting in a rocky clearing, my long hair framing my face only my bangs were held back by my headband with the metal plate with the engraving for Konoha on it. The rocks around me were all damaged in some way. Some were broken up into huge chunks; others were bored into with spirals that ranged from huge to tightly compacted.

"One more time…" I panted and held out my right hand to the side. A blue sphere of condensed, spiraling chakra formed above my palm. With the move prepared I ran towards the only unblemished rock. Throwing my arm in front of me I roared as the move hit the rock, "RASENGAN!"

The boulder crumbled under the assault and I went flying through it with pebbles flying through the air. The move dissipated from my hand and I went rolling forward. Not even trying to stop myself I slammed into the ground. Before I let blackness consume me I muttered, "Finally…"

*****END FLASHBACK*****

My eyes narrowed as I concentrated on the move and the blue ball of whirling chakra formed in my right hand. Not hesitating I pounced, and thrust the attack into Orochimaru's stomach. As I did this I screamed, "RASENGAN!"

All of the breath the man had was forced out of him and he was thrown back. He slammed into the opposite railing, bending it out of shape. I dropped to my knees again from my half standing position as he slowly got up. Pain seared through my right shoulder again and my hands flew to it, giving my shoulder a death grip. My Byakugan-Sharingan finally faded.

"You still had the will to fight back. Even Sasuke couldn't do that after he was marked." He said before he faded away into the shadows, but my eyes widened at his words.

I craned my neck to look at my shoulder and saw a black mark. The mark looked like the designs in a completed Sharingan but with six comma-like marks, instead of three, around a single black dot in the center. I growled out through the pain, "Why you!"

"You and Sasuke will come to me eventually. And finally I will have the Sharingan for myself!" He hissed before his presence left altogether.

Somehow I managed to get to my feet and stumbled to the door with my mind hazy as the blackness swamped the edges of my being farther than before making my limbs feel like they were being pricked with pins and needles. I made my way to the Hokage's office vaguely aware of the forms that had suddenly appeared next to me, one with a child in his or her arms. I flung the door to the office open and fell into the room.

Someone caught me and I looked to see an out of focus Kakashi, his visible eye wide with shock and not as hooded as it normally was. Then he noticed my left hand firmly clamped onto my shoulder before looking over at the ANBU and the burden in one of their arms. His visible eye still wide, Kakashi pulled my right arm over his shoulders to help me stand up. I muttered an incoherent thanks to the man.

"Egao, what happened?" Sarutobi asked getting up from his desk and standing in front of me. He glanced at Jiraiya who had his gaze only locked on the hand gripping my shoulder.

"Orochimaru… Ambushed me… Fought back… Too many clones… Marked me on the shoulder… Through the pain I attacked… With Rasengan… Said I shouldn't be able to move… Plus that he marked Sasuke…" I said through my teeth as I started to grind them in pain as I tried my best to ignore it and stay conscious as well.

"How did that bastard get into the village?" Jiraiya asked to no one in particular.

"I don't know…" I growled out. Renewed pain suddenly lanced through my shoulder and I cried out digging my fingers into my skin drawing some blood. Another, stronger, wave of pain made my knees buckle and blissfully I blacked out with Sarutobi crying out my name echoing in my head as the pain faded away.

**Author's Notes:** As you can tell I am not good at writing the parts of the story that is actually in the manga and the anime, but good at my own, made up, stuff. I hope that this chapter is enjoyed and I found out that I have a lot of people favorite-ing this fanfiction and/or putting it on story alert. I appreciate that, but don't forget to review! Reviews help me because if you either put an idea in a review or private message me I might include it in the story if I like it enough. Elizabeth0058 out until next chapter!

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	4. Chapter 4

I am so sorry that I did not get this chapter out a lot sooner, but when you have two stories and then have writer's block on BOTH of them… Well, let me just say that it is not fun and easy to get out new chapters. So, just for the readers' information, the next few months are going to be really slow for updates because of Marching Band. Fun, I know. And now that we have a new director, he is expecting the leadership—which I am a part of—to help him out. Just had to let you guys and gals know before people start thinking that I am dead. Oh and when I post updates I will post back and forth between both of my stories. Actually that is my goal.

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! I ONLY OWN MY OWN IDEAS!**

Chapter Four:

Last chapter:

"_Egao, what happened?" Sarutobi asked getting up from his desk and standing in front of me. He glanced at Jiraiya who had his gaze only locked on the hand gripping my shoulder._

"_Orochimaru… Ambushed me… Fought back… Too many clones… Marked me on the shoulder… Through the pain I attacked… With Rasengan… Said I shouldn't be able to move… Plus that he marked Sasuke…" I said through my teeth as I started to grind them in pain as I tried my best to ignore it and stay conscious as well._

"_How did that bastard get into the village?!" Jiraiya asked to no one in particular._

"_I don't know…" I growled out. Renewed pain suddenly lanced through my shoulder and I cried out digging my fingers into my skin drawing some blood. Another, stronger, wave of pain made my knees buckle and blissfully I blacked out with Sarutobi crying out my name echoing in my head as the pain faded away._

**N-N-N**

"Egao…" A voice said as if from a great distance. I groaned and cracked open my eyes to be half-blinded by a blank, never-ending, white void. This sight, after my eyes had adjusted, made me bolt up into a sitting position on high alert. Swiveling my head, I looked all around me for the person who had called my name, as well as the end of the void. I came up with nothing and did not notice the black strands that were falling into my face.

"Egao… Egao…" The voice said again, and this time I felt like I had heard it before. Slowly I got my feet under me in a crouch before raising up to my full height, but as soon as I did I felt that something was… off. Curiously, with my eyebrows drawn together, I looked down at my hands. Strangely enough they looked the same as they always looked in comparison to my body. Absolutely confused I finally noticed the black strands that were falling into my line of sight. Almost reflexively, I tucked what I knew was my hair back behind my ear before I froze.

"Wait a minute…" I whispered in a voice that was slightly higher than what I was used to, and looked at my hands again, closer this time, and realized that they seemed to be a lot smaller. I shakily moved my hand to where the plate of my headband was supposed to be and ended up fingering the soft clothe instead of the hard, slightly warmed metal. I started to panic, not understanding what was going on, but stopped myself with all of my will that cam in the form of a deep breath.

"Egao…" A voice that was deeper than the first called, and immediately my eyes widened. I did recognize those voices. With a nervous gulp, I turned my head to the right and saw two, almost indistinguishable figures in the distance that I was pretty sure were not there earlier when I looked around.

The first and taller of the two had blonde hair, a blue outfit, and a long, white coat with orange-red flames trimming the bottom were the most noticeable trademarks that I could see. The other one had a bright shock of straight, long, fiery red hair that tore anyone's gaze away from her civilian-like clothing that I didn't really care about after seeing the familiar colors. Both seem to be facing me.

"M-Mom…? D-D-Dad…?" I stuttered in a choked voice as it suddenly broke and hot tears welled up in my eyes. I took a deliberate, but tentative, step towards the pair, then suddenly broke into a full pelt run. The tears streamed down my face as I looked at two people that I had thought that I would never see again until I died.

As soon as I was close enough, I threw myself at their legs, bawling out my eyes as I gripped one leg from each and pulled, or at least tried to pull, them closer. Gradually, they crouched down, so as to best not to disturb me too much, as well as to let me adjust to the movements. Once fully crouching I was pulled into a bear hug from both of them. When my tears stemmed enough for talking, I sobbed into the man's chest, "I-I-I thought… I-I th-thought th-th-that I w-would never s-s-see y-you a-again…" Confusion was pulsating off of the two in waves after the statement.

"Now what made you think that?" Minato finally asked as he and Kushina then pulled back to look at me with questioning eyes. I sniffled as the tears finally stopped. As I looked into the Fourth's questioning, blue eyes that were the exact same shade as his son's, the burning sensation that foreshadowed tears, burned my eyes.

"'Cause… on the night that the Nine-Tails escaped from mom and attacked the village… you… two…" I broke down crying again and buried myself in Minato's arms, his green jounin vest darkening in splotches with my tears.

"Shush… It's okay…" he soothed, apparently understanding what I couldn't bring myself to say. Gently and awkwardly he rubbed my upper back in small circles. When I heard mom snicker softly, I knew that the blonde was giving his wife a pleading, help-me-look. I gave a weak smile that was missed by the two adults as they had a silent war of wills with their eyes. I figured that mom won when Minato shifted uncomfortably and tightened his grip around me slightly. Slowly my breaths went to shuddering inhales with my chest heaving and an occasional hiccup.

"Better?" Mom asked, her tone giving away the fact that she was grinning. I pulled away from dad slightly to give her a wobbly, but bright, smile that was accompanied by a nod. Her green eyes flickered over the two of us, resting on me and then Minato before she laughed softly. Lost, we looked at each other with a _Huh?-_look and looked right back at her with our equally confused looks. At both of our confused looks the redhead busted out into full-blown laughter and somehow managed to splutter, "She has somehow gotten your smile, Minato."

I blinked, unsure of what to say, then craned my neck to look at the blonde who had his eyes brows raised to the point that they were almost hidden under his headband. He looked down at me with the same look on his face with now a look in his eyes that said, _I bet. You agree with me right?_ I blinked in conformation, and simultaneously we gave each other a goofy grin. Almost immediately we both started to laugh along with mom. I had no idea how long we stayed there laughing our heads off, but when we stopped my sides hurt and I could barely breathe. I, of course, did not want it to end but of course every good thing has to end at some point—and this is whether you want it to or not.

Suddenly, I realized that there was another presence in the void and tensed. My foster parents noticed this and whirled around and got ready to fight as they looked at the third person. He gave the three of us a smirk as he observed us with cold, cat-like, amber eyes. A sharp pain ran through my right shoulder and I bit back a hiss but could not stop the sharp inhale that I took. Minato shot me a concerned look as Kushina positioned herself behind me, her eyes not leaving the pale, snake-like man.

"Hehehe… I should have realized that this is where you would feel the safest," Orochimaru said smoothly, "your own empty place with the two people you _love_, but miss terribly. We are more alike than I thought."

"Shut up!" I commanded in a much calmer voice than I felt on the inside. "I am _nothing_ like you. I would never perform experiments, have obsessions with eternal life just because I want to learn every jutsu out there for no reason, or abandon the village because of the aforementioned. Never!"

He looked at me and raised a mocking eyebrow his eyes glistening with amusement. He smirked again and I felt my stomach drop. With that same amused and half triumphant look he questioned, "Oh, really…? Then what was—"

"Shut up!" I said again, this time with anger leaking into my voice and glared at him. I felt chakra streaming to my eyes, enough for my Byakugan-Sharingan. I reached for some invisible power, hoping it would work since this was my dreamscape, and shoved him hard. He stumbled backwards and looked slightly perplexed about what had happened. He was surprisingly quiet as he peered at me as I looked down at the white floor with my eyes half-lidded. In a hard tone that did not fit someone the age that I figured I was, I whispered, "Get out…!"

When he did not move I lifted my head up the slightest bit, but not enough that the others could see my eyes as I peered through my hair that was in my face and watched as the white dreamscape started to turn a light blue. "I said get out…"

"Or what?" He asked, half-taunting, and half-curious.

I did not answer but used that odd power to push out again, this time with more force. The snake was forced back a greater distance and just about fell. Once more I pushed, this time putting all of the blue that had changed the color of the world around us behind the shove, making it fade away. This time he was sent flying away and I could feel the shock coming from my parents as Kushina started to get in front of me again to see what was happening better. Minato did not have a clue what was going on, from his posture and the expression on the sliver of his face that I could see.

"I told you to get out, Orochimaru. And I meant _now!_" I said, finally lifting my head up and exposing my eyes, which locked with his amber ones. For some time there was only silence as the blue came back to the world. After what felt like a few minutes, he smirked darkly and my eyes widened for a millisecond before pain shot through my body. The surrounding world suddenly became a dark, sickly purple. With a pain-filled cry I dropped to my knees as I found the source of the fire-like pain: my right shoulder. My hands gripped the offending shoulder tightly.

"Egao!" Mom exclaimed as I dropped and started to look me over for some kind of injury. When she got to my shoulder, and after she had pried my hands away from when I grabbed at the cursed-seal, she apparently still did not see any wound. With one eye closed I saw her looking confused before she saw something that I could not see. Almost gingerly she pulled the collar of my shirt over, stretching the cloth to its limit to expose my shoulder and gasped. "Minato… You need to see this… Swap."

In a blur of movement the two adults switched places, and dad was suddenly next to me. In a business-like, but gentle, manner her pulled the collar of my shirt down like mom had done and examined the mark on my shoulder. Slowly his eyes trailed up to my face before dropping down to my right arm where it was exposed at the elbow. Following his gaze I was surprised to find black marks that were almost continuos swirls—resembling the Uzumaki spiral to a great degree—that was marring the skin on the underbelly of the forearm.

"Wha—argh!" I started to say but was interrupted by a sharp stab of pain. The black swirls crept down my arm another centimeter. Glaring at Orochimaru, who was smirking, I thought, _Stupid snake bastard…_

"Very good, Egao," He said his eyes shining with anticipation, "You have figured out how to call upon the power of my gift. Now…" He paused, and a feral grin contorted his countenance as Minato whirled around to glare at him, "Let me see how you work…" He snapped his fingers and the world started to distort and become black.

I felt like I could not breathe as the pain retreated before fading altogether. I saw my parent's faces flash to me in worry before they were gone, and I was left alone in the black void with Orochimaru. Soon even he disappeared as he faded into the darkness. Before I could start to formulate a plan of what I was going to do, I was suddenly standing in my old home and listening to a few people talk about something.

"I'll be there for the birth…" I heard dad say from around the corner in the dining room. "We have to take care of the seal and everything. I'll get everything prepared beforehand."

"This is what we did for your predecessor Mito-sama as well. The seal nearly failed when she gave birth." I heard old man Third reply and I resisted the temptation to peer around the corner to look at the adults.

"I'm afraid that we'll have to prepare for the worst… We'll set up a place outside the village and erect a barrier to protect it." He continued, and my brow crinkled slightly since I was slightly confused about what they were talking about. "Only Minato, my wife Biwako and Taji from the ANBU will be inside. This must be kept top secret.

"Of course there will be reinforcements outside, ANBU under my direct command." Sarutobi finished and I shifted my weight slightly away from the corner.

"I'll tell yiz where the place is, go get your things ready!" A woman that I assumed was Biwako ordered.

"Yes… Thank you both." Mom said softly in reply, and slowly, when the conversation was not continued, I started to tiptoe away in the silence.

I glanced over my shoulder for a second when I heard no one move to get up and suddenly ran into something that had not been there a second ago. With wide eyes I looked up at the stern face of Minato and smiled sheepishly. I had been caught. "Um… Hi, dad!"

He sighed and ushered me around the corner to the table where I took the remaining chair. I looked at the adults in the room and looked guiltily at the table because of the stern looks that I was receiving from everyone—although the old man's gaze was slightly amused. Fiddling with the straps that kept the kunai pouch on my leg on I waited for the fussing and questions to begin.

"Egao," I looked up to Sarutobi and he gave me a reassuring smile that made me relax slightly, "What did you hear?"

"Something about a seal…" I replied and suddenly the adults looked tensed, especially mom. Quickly I continued, "But I don't know what all that was about though. You mentioned Mito-sama and the seal nearly failing when she gave birth—I still am completely lost about that by the way. You are going to erect a barrier around someplace outside of the village should the worst happen, and that only dad, Biwako-sama, and Taji from the ANBU will be inside. And outside there will be reinforcement ANBU directly under your command, old man."

He smiled slightly at the end because of my nickname for him but he had a serious glint in his eyes as he thought about something. After a few moments of silence I glanced at my parents. Craning my neck to see dad I noticed that the blonde looked like he was fighting some internal battle as he thought over something. Mom on the other hand, had that same look of wanting to just say whatever was on her mind like she normally did, but was biting her tongue for whatever reason.

Suddenly, dad sighed, drawing my attention back to him. Looking at mom with his blue eyes serious he said, "I think we should tell her, Kushina…"

She did not even get a chance to respond when Biwako said, "I think not! This is not something for a child to know!"

"Know what?" I asked, almost acting as if the elderly woman had not just spoken, but right then I was too curious to care about the disrespect. What could mom and dad not have told me?

"Egao," the redhead said slowly, almost as if she was choosing her words carefully, "You know of the Nine-Tailed fox, right?" Confused I nodded my head in confirmation and waited for Kushina to continue.

"Well, Mito-sama was the fox's jinchuuriki, or its living container." She said and I was confused. How did this relate to the topic at all? "The fox was sealed in her and when she had her child the beast almost broke out because the seal was weakened because... Never mind, I'll tell you that when you're older. Simply, it has to do with chakra and where it is directed to."

"But, mom, how does this have anything to do with you?" The question was out of my mouth before I could stop it as my head tilted to the side.

"Because, Egao, Kushina is the fox's new jinchuuriki," Minato explained gently and I gaped at the blonde. I looked back at mom for conformation and she nodded.

When I finally regained my voice I yelped, "But the fox can't hurt Naruto can it!? The chakra can't hurt Naruto right!? Because Naruto is in your belly and the fox is… well somewhere in you and, and, and…"

"No, the fox can't hurt Naruto," Kushina soothed and I visibly relaxed by slumping against the back of my chair to the point that my eyes were level with the table. I missed the smiles that were passed between my parents as I looked at Sarutobi and bit my lip slightly in thought.

"What is it, Egao?" He asked and I blinked.

"Eh?" I said and he raised his eyebrows some. I looked at the table as I sat up a little straighter. "Oh, well… I… I was wondering if… If… If I could… Um… If I could be somewhere near the barrier or something so that after Naruto was born dad could quickly take me to where ever it is so I can see him or her…?" I said hopefully lifting my gaze.

I saw him open his mouth after a moment of pause to think, but what he said was lost as Orochimaru appeared again with a bored look on his face and I focused on him. He snapped his fingers once more and I found myself suddenly sitting in a cave and staring a stretch of wall in front of me as a woman screamed behind me. I went to turn around when a hand landed on the top of my head and forcefully turned my head back around. Sticking out my bottom lip I pouted, and glared at stone in the wall.

Over the screaming I heard dad say or yell, I was not too sure, "I, uh… I've never heard Kushina in so much pain, are… are you sure she's alright."

"She's fine! Just keep your eyes on the seal!" Biwako snapped and I snickered. Dad was having one of those mother-hen moments that he had frequently, again.

"But she's—" he started to say when Biwako yelled at him again.

"Good lord, you're the Fourth Hokage! Don't Panic! This is why women have babies, you men can't handle pain!"

"I'm never having a child if it hurts as much as I guess from the way mom is screaming," I muttered and the ANBU behind me laughed. "Shut it, you…"

"Hang in there Kushina! Hang in there Naruto!" Dad said and I barely heard it over mom's screaming.

Suddenly a cold chill ran up my spine and I shivered before I could stop myself. Something was off. I did not know what but there was something wrong, somewhere.

"MMMMNNNNNNNNN!" Mom screamed, and I screwed up my face.

"The head's almost out!" Biwako cried. "Almost there, Kushina!"

"Keep going Kushina-san!" The other lady yelled—I had not really felt the need to remember the name in the excitement of getting a sibling in all but blood. After a moment of thought I figured that she must be Taji.

"Naruto get out here! And Nine-Tails, you stay right where you are!" Dad said desperately.

Crying suddenly filled the cave and I started to turn around but was forced to face the wall again as Biwako ordered the other lady to get hot water. I heard dad say something, but missed what the exact words were because of mom's heavy breathing and Naruto's crying.

"Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy!" Someone said.

Loosing patience I called over my shoulder, "Can I get up now?"

"Yes, Egao… Haha! Look at me, I'm a father!" Dad said and I scrambled to my feet and scurried over.

"What am I, dad? Chopped liver?" I asked as I stood on the tips of my toes to look at my little brother. "Aw, you're so cute, Naru! And you got dad's blonde hair! I wonder if you'll have his long bang-sideburn things? Can I hold him?"

"Naruto…" Mom whispered as I was gently handed the baby and instructed how to hold him, "I finally get to meet you…"

"Okay, Kushina!" Minato said surprising me and I blinked owlishly up at him as another cold chill ran up my spine making me step closer to him. He did not even glance at me. "I know you're exhausted from the birth, but we've gotta get the Nine-Tails completely sealed!"

"Right…!" Mom panted with a wobbly smile.

There was a thud before Biwako and Taji cried out with two more thuds and suddenly I was on the other side of the room with my ankles tied together and my hands bound behind my back. Thankfully I was not gagged. I lay on my stomach blinking as I tried to my right hand only for the rope or wire to dig in to my wrists. A man in a cloak with the hood up stood over me and slightly to the right, I could see a piece of his striped mask.

"Fourth Hokage… Minato." He said and I saw Naruto in his right arm as his left hand moved over the child with the fingers hooked. "Back away from the jinchuuriki or your son dies at the rip old age of one minute. And then your daughter at the ripe old age of seven."

_Oh, crap!_ I thought and started writhing around to see if I could get loose but only felt pain as whatever was binding my arms and legs dug into my skin and I felt a very small trickle of blood roll down my wrist to my back. I glimpsed skin right below the strange man's pants and above his ninja sandals and got an idea.

"Kushina!" dad cried as her seal made a bubbling sound. I wiggled closer to the man and prepared myself to lunge forward as I got a grip with the toes of my sandals. I was plaintively ignoring the motionless bodies of the ANBU, Biwako, and Taji as blood slowly pooled around them.

"Back away from the jinchuuriki… Or don't you care if your son and daughter dies?" The masked man repeated a kunai now in his hands.

"Hold it, j-just calm down!" Dad said and I lunged forward right then. Somehow I did manage to bite his ankle and gagged at the taste before he promptly kicked me away. I spluttered as blood ran from my nose.

"Jerk!" I spat and wiggled to get to the kunai pouch on my leg. The man gave me a glance that I figured was amused. After contorting my body into a very uncomfortable and slightly painful position, I managed to get my hand in and slip out my one regular kunai. Quickly, I sawed at what bound my wrists and cut through it to find it was rope, then started to hack at the rope on my ankles.

"You should take your own advice, Minato. I'm perfectly calm." He said and I got to my feet as he tossed Naruto up into the air and drew the hand that he had held the kunai in back. With wide eyes I jumped up to catch him as mom cried out his name. As I passed the masked man I felt a light tap on my right arm, but did not think anything of it until I heard a hissing sound that made me look that way and my eyes widened.

On the sleeve of my gray coat trimmed in black flames so it slightly resembled dad's cloak and stopped at my elbow, there was an explosive tag. Instead of trying to catch Naruto I started to take the coat off and before I knew it I was in someone's arms and was sideways. I blinked and looked at dad who had a serious and angry look on his face. This interrupted me for a second before I started to squirm again to get out of my coat.

"You live up to the 'Yellow Flash' moniker, but what now?" The man asked.

I heard a hissing sound coming from Naruto's blanket and quickly Minato slipped it off of him right as I was about to get my coat off of me. Next thing I knew I was flying through the air with an explosion around me, and all of a sudden dad's grip on me slipped and I went flying on my own. Suddenly, I collided with what I assumed to be the ground and cried out in pain as I heard a pop and pain flared in my left shoulder. I rolled to a stop and curled on my right side and clutched my left shoulder with my right hand and noticed that I had burns on my forearm that stretched all the way to the tips of my fingers that started to burn as soon as I saw them.

"Thank God… You're not hurt… Ow…" I heard dad say softly somewhere behind me, and I pushed myself up into a sitting position with my good arm and hissed in pain. He snapped around to look at me, and his blue eyes widened in worry.

"Yeah… He's not hurt… But I am… Stupid ground and explosive tags…" I tried to joke with a weak smile as my left arm hung limply. _I must be a sight. A dislocated shoulder, a bloody nose, and some serious burns, _I thought before I blacked out from pain right as Minato pulled a piece of wood out of his leg.

**N-N-N**

I was suddenly jolted awake when my shoulder was forced back into place. A scream escaped my lips and reflexively I kicked out randomly to my left as my right hand flew to cup my shoulder gingerly. My kick was blocked and my eyes flew open to see my father's worried face.

"Sorry, but that had to be done. I'll be back soon, watch after Naruto." He said as I glared at him. Slowly I sat up and watched him disappear in a flash of light as a distant roar reached my ears. Looking to my right on the bed I saw my little brother under the blanket and gently picked him up, along with the blanket, and put him in my lap. I examined my right arm that was bandaged up to my elbow and shrugged. Leaning back against the wall I closed my eyes and before I knew it I was asleep.

**N-N-N**

Distantly I heard a loud noise but only shifted closer to the warmth that was near me. I felt myself moved but was barely conscious of the movement as a whipping-like sound reached me, but this time it seemed closer. Suddenly in the darkness a familiar wailing made me try and struggle out of the darkness that bound me. _Naruto… _The familiar tones of mom and dad's voices entered the confusing myriad of noises making me even more desperate to wake up. Finally I managed to make out some of the words that were being said.

"… Happy that it's… our son's… birthday." I heard mom say weakly. "Like… If I try to imagine surviving and the four of us… living together… I can't think of anything… beyond 'I'd be so happy…'

"If I had any regrets…" she said after a short pause, "It would be that I won't see Naruto and Egao grow up."

"Kushina…" Dad whispered, "You don't need to take the fox down with you. We can use our last bit of chakra to at least see Naruto one more time!"

"…Huh?"

"I'll seal the rest of your chakra into Naruto with an eight trigrams seal. With a seal that only a non-jinchuuriki like me can use, the dead demon seal!" Dad said and I felt my heart freeze up. If he used that seal he would…

"But that… The user will be—"

"But I'll only be able to seal half the fox's power… It's just too great, It's physically and conceptually impossible to completely seal it all." He said interrupting Kushina as I tried to wake up fully but was still in that in-between state. "I can't let the Nine-Tails be revived without a jinchuuriki, the balanced of the tailed beasts destroyed.

"But with the dead demon seal I can permanently seal half of the fox's power along with myself. And the remaining half…" Here the blonde paused slightly for a deep breath. "I'll seal the remaining half inside Naruto with the eight trigrams seal!

"I know what you want to say… But Jiraiya-sensei spoke of the world undergoing a revolution, and with it, a great disaster! Tonight I've confirmed two things. The first is that masked man, the one who attacked you… He is the harbinger of that disaster!

"And Naruto will be able to stop him. The jinchuuriki who will blaze the trail to our future. I just… know it!"

"But… Minato." Mom said as I heard the clapping of hands as dad performed the necessary handsigns.

"Have a little faith!" He replied and I figured that he had a half-smile on his face. "He is our son after all!

"After I finish the dead demon seal I'll place your remaining chakra into Naruto as well. You'll meet the grown-up Naruto sooner than you think… The time will come when he'll attempt to take control of the fox's power… I want you there to help him."

"Our son…" Mom said anger in her voice. "That's why! I don't want him to bear such a heavy burden all on his own!"

There was an extremely long pause of silence and I managed to wiggle a finger before Kushina yelled, "But why… why the dead demon seal?! There's no reason for you to die… just so I can meet him for a few minutes when he's older! I wanted you to be there for him and Egao… I wanted you to raise them! Why…

"Why are you sacrificing _Naruto _just to preserve the balance of the tailed beasts… To save the village… and the country… Why are you sacrificing yourself for me?!"

"Turning your back on the country, on the village is just as bad as abandoning a child." Dad replied quietly. "You should understand… You saw your own country fall apart. You know the pain of growing up without a home of your own… And you know that we are a family… Of shinobi!

"Besides, even if I lived I could never substitute for you. There are things that Naruto needs to be told, things I could never say myself, and neither could Egao do it. That's the mother's job, and I need you to carry it out even if you only have the briefest of moments to do so. This isn't just for you… It's for Naruto!" He paused and I worked to open my eyes even a crack to see, but they felt like lead. "Dying to make a better life for his son and daughter… That's the stuff you let the father handle."

Suddenly he said, "Seal!" A bone-rattling roar made all of my muscle tense and my breathing accelerate along with my heartbeat. Slowly I started to open my eyes to see a very hazy world and finally noticed that I was on my back. I heard dad say, "Now for the eight trigrams seal! I'm going to seal the Kyuubi inside Naruto."

There was an old sound as something loosened while mom coughed and Minato yelled, "Kushina stay with me!"

My eyesight cleared up even more so I rolled my head over to look in dad's direction and blinked when I saw mom with chains coming out of her back and blood coming out of the corners of her mouth down her chin. Suddenly there was a whooshing sound followed by the squelch of pierced flesh. Shakily I rolled over then pushed my self up into a half-sitting position and looked around to see a small pedestal with Naruto on it and on the opposite side…

"MOM! DAD!" I screamed in horror, my stomach clenching as my eyes widened. Both adults had one of the fox's large claws through their chests and the dangerous nail had stopped just a few inches from piercing Naruto.

"Finally awake, kiddo," Dad said looking at me and giving me his best smile that was ruin by how shaky it was and the blood that was now down his own chin. Deftly I nodded as my eyes filled with tears.

"If the father can do this job…" Mom said to Minato with her own weak smile, "the mother should be even better… right?"

"Damned humans!" The fox growled.

"You win…" Mom continued, "First argument… you've ever won… I guess… you're really serious."

"Thank you, Kushina…" The blonde replied softly. Shaking, he swiped some of his blood on the palm of his left hand and held his arm out and said, "Summoning technique!"

"Nn!" the odd looking told said before he caught sight of the Nine-Tails and cried, "Aah, the Nine-Tails! And Fourth, what the hell happened to you!?"

"Heart of a lion that one…" I murmured as I sweat-dropped as I cried.

"Gamatora… I'm entrusting you with the key to the seal. Hurry to Jaraiya-sensei… Store it with him…" Dad instructed, his voice firm.

"Got it!" Gamatora said. "Good… Goodbye!"

Once the toad had disappeared with in a poof Minato said, "That does it… It's time for me to go, Kushina, Egao… I'm going to perform the eight trigrams seal… and try to leave a little of my own chakra in Naruto, too! We don't have much time… If you have anything left to say to Naruto or Egao…"

"Naruto…" the redhead said as the tears in my eyes spilled over, "Naruto… Don't be a fussy eater… Eat a lot and grow up to be a big boy! Take your bath every day… Go to bed early and sleep well!

"Make friends… It doesn't matter how many… just make sure that they're real friends… people you can trust… even a few is enough! And study your ninjutsu… I was never very good at it, maybe you will be… Everyone has things they're good at and things they're not… Don't feel bad if you can't do it all.

"Make sure you listen to the teacher… at the academy. And not to mention your sister… no matter how bossy or mother-hen-like she may get… she'll do it because she loves you and she gets it from your father." Dad and I smiled some at that comparison as mom glanced at me.

"And remember to avoid the three vices of shinobi. Don't borrow money it you can help it. Save what you get from missions… No drinking until you're twenty, and don't overdo it or you'll ruin your body. As for women… Well, I'm a woman so I don't know what to say, but there are only men and women in this world, and you'll want a girlfriend someday… Just try not to pick a weird one… Try to pick someone like your mother… And the fourth warning… watch out for Jaraiya-sensei!

"Naruto… You're going to experience a lot of pain and suffering… Remember who you are! Find a goal… a dream… And don't stop trying until it comes true! … There's… There's… There's… so much more I want to say… To teach you about… I want to stay with you… I love you…

"Egao…" She said finally addressing me, "The same things apply with you… And listen to the old man Third… I know how bad you are about that…" I sniffled as I gave her a sheepish grin. "Although you should avoid Jiraiya-sensei more… especially when you become a young lady… You'll grow up to be beautiful… so when you want a boyfriend… Well, pick a good one… One like you're father…

"You'll experience a lot of pain and suffering too… Mainly because of your heritage… but also because you'll stand by Naruto…" She told me and I looked at my little brother still asleep. "When you become a ninja… I know you'll be just like your mom… There's more I want to say to you too… but… I love you, Egao… So very much… As if you were my own flesh and blood… I'm sorry, Minato… I took all our time…"

"It's okay…" he said gently. "Naruto… This is your dad… Listen… to your motor-mouth mother. Egao… you too. I'm so glad… I adopted you… Grow up… to be just like… your mom… beautiful… strong… And be careful of… sensei when you're older… okay. Don't forget to master… your Byakugan… and Sharingan once you… unlock the later." I nodded, as I sobbed, barely able to see my parents through my tears. "I love you, kiddo. Eight trigrams seal!"

I closed my eyes tight; the image of my parent's proud yet pain-filled and bloody faces burned into my memory. I heard two; simultaneous thuds as their dead bodies hit the ground. Opening my eyes I averted my gaze from them and to Naruto who had started to wail. Getting to my feet I went over to the pedestal and picked him up and held him close to me as I sat down, not really caring that it was in a pool of blood or that there was a black seal now tattooed on his stomach. Still sobbing, I started to hum a lullaby that mom would sing to me when I would wake up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. His crying quieted and died down to sniffles as he calmed, and even then I did not stop. I did not want to. I was afraid to. I was afraid that if I did I would break, break like a dropped pane of glass.

"Egao…" a familiar voice questioned, but I did not look up from Naruto's face. "Egao." The voice tried again this time the owner placing a hand on my shoulder. I looked up, still humming, at the old man as tears kept rolling down my cheeks. "We have to go back to the village. Come on." I nodded and got to my feet. A ninja that I did not know came over and tried to gently take Naruto away, but I clutched him closer.

"Egao, may I please have the jinchuuriki." The man said and still humming as if he had not said anything I clutched Naruto even closer. "Please hand over the jin—"

Suddenly, I stopped humming and had my Byakugan activated and was glaring at the ninja as I jabbed at a chakra point in his arm, making it go limp. In an angry and choked voice I growled, "His name is Naruto!" Deactivating the Byakugan I started to hum the lullaby again where I had left off.

"Egao, may I please have Naruto?" Sarutobi asked and I nodded, he was the only person here that I trusted. After changing his staff back into his summoning which quickly went away, I handed him my brother. Without giving him a warning, I jumped on his back and wrapped my arms around his shoulders as far as I could before grabbing his vest. I was going to ride piggyback whether he wanted it or not. Sighing he held Naruto with one arm and hooked the other under one of my legs. "You're not going to let him out of your sight are you?"

"Nope…" I whispered in his ear, pausing just long enough in my humming to say that one word. Like this we started back to the village and soon enough I was asleep once again.

"So… That's how you tick…" A voice said in the blackness and amber eyes suddenly opened up, reflecting light that did not exist. "I will have your Sharingan-Byakugan. And my extra special gift will only make your eyes stronger and more valuable… But only if my little experiment doesn't kill you first my little One-of-Two…"

**N-N-N**

My eyes flew open and a bright light right over me immediately blinded me over me making me snap them shut once more. Squinting to see, I grumbled, "That's a stupid place to put a light." I went to rub my eyes and sit up but found that I was unable to either. Immediately I started to panic, but forced myself to look at my wrists to see that they were cuffed to the bed. Lifting my head up I looked at my feet to see that my ankles were cuffed, too. Adding chakra to the muscles in my arms I jerked only to feel weaker after the attempt.

"What?" Adding chakra to my right hand I expected to see it turn blue, but instead I felt the chakra being drained. That's when I lost it and yelled, "Who the hell restrained me to this bed with chakra restraints?! Whoever it is I'm going to make them pay!"

Growling I lay there when suddenly a stab of pain went through my right shoulder. Reflexively I went to grab it and was stopped by the cuffs. Unable to do anything else, I balled my hands into fists, feeling my nails dig into my palm, and tried to wear through it. When I saw swirls starting to creep down my left arm my eyes widened in horror and I cried, "Shit!"

"My, my, someone has gained a colorful vocabulary." Someone said from the doorframe and I saw a familiar head of silver-white hair and a crooked headband.

"Kakashi, shut your mouth and help me out here, or so help me I will pulverize you when I am free!" I glared at him as the marks crept further down my arm and the seal made my chakra network burn as if on fire. "Damn it!"

"Egao, calm down," A voice said from behind Kakashi. The scarecrow moved aside so the old man could walk in. He sat down in the chair next to my bed and looked at me as he placed his pipe in his mouth.

"No smoking in the hospital, old man!" I smirked and he put away his pipe with a slightly sheepish look.

The sheepish look quickly faded as he went into Hokage mode. Looking at me he said, "You cannot be released from the chakra restraints yet because of the seal. Thankfully you didn't go insane when you woke up like Sasuke did. It's unstable on you though for some reason. It may be because of your quick temper or because of your two bloodlines."

"Or it could be because of my age. I don't think that Orochimaru normally marks people as old as me. He's obsessed with teens because they have a greater potential to be stronger than people that have already hit the beginning of the time period where they can't grow too much in strength." I said and thought back to my dream and tried not to flinch at the thought but something came to mind something that the Orochimaru figment had said. "Or could it be that it's an experimental seal…" I thought aloud as slowly the marks started to recede due to me not using any chakra anymore.

"Experimental? Where do you figure that, Egao?" Kakashi said eyeing me carefully.

"Give me a minute 'Kashi…" I said using the nickname that I had called him by when I was little because I could not say his name right, this made him sigh. I did not smirk though as I closed my eyes in thought, trying to figure out how to explain it. Slowly I said, "There was an Orochimaru figment in my dreams. He said before I woke up that he would have my Byakugan-Sharingan, and that his gift would only make my eyes more valuable—if it didn't kill me. But how can… it… make… them… He didn't." I growled at the end as I snapped my eyes open, and glared at a random spot on the ceiling.

"What?" Kakashi asked as Sarutobi's eyes narrowed.

"Old man, blood test. Do you know whose DNA to use?" I asked and the old man nodded then called a nurse in the room. Quickly he explained that a blood test needed to be done and she scurried out of the room. When she came back she had a needle and wiped a spot near the crook of my elbow and plunged the needle into my arm and drew some blood. Once that was done, she wiped away the trickle of blood that dripped down my left arm and stuck a band-aide over it. She ran out of the room while I gave her and incredulous look. "Really, a band-aide?"

"I have to go and get some trusted ANBU to run the test because if it turned out to be positive then…" The third paused, then threw Kakashi a ring with one key on it. "Kakashi, we need to get her seal sealed up as well."

My eyes narrowed as the scarecrow's visible eye widened and pink tinged the top of his cheek right below his eye. In a nervous voice he stuttered, "Um… But… But… She'll…" Sarutobi raised an eyebrow and an almost mischievous glint entered his black eyes, and the jounin slumped in defeat. In a flat tone he said, "Yes, sir."

As the third walked out of the door Kakashi started to unlock the cuffs. Immediately after my hands were free I bolted into a sitting position and rubbed my wrists. In a casual tone I asked, "What happened after I blacked out?"

"Um… Jaraiya and I brought you and Sasuke hear. When we stepped foot into the building you started to thrash about, and Jaraiya—he was carrying you by the way—got punched in the jaw and you gave him a kick to a very sensitive area. We barely got you into that bed restrained after we called for two ANBU. When you're asleep you fight dirty, you know that?" Kakashi stated as he put the key ring into the pouch on his leg and pulled out his Icha Icha Paradise book.

"Yeah, I know about those reflexes. They've saved me from drunks a lot when I didn't have enough money to sleep in an inn and had to camp out in the woods near a town. Let me just say that they woke up with more pain than just that of a hangover in the morning." I said a smirk forming on my face that disappeared when I voiced what had been on my mind for a few minutes now. "Now, 'Kashi, what was that about with sealing my seal?"

His eye widened and he put his book away, which I found odd. Slowly he started, "The seal needs to be sealed so you can actually use your chakra again. The seal relies on your own will to not use the mark. So if your will wavers then so does the strength of the seal. Only Jaraiya and myself can perform the seal, and the Hokage figured that you would prefer that I would do it rather than that pervert."

"What does…?" I started to ask before I realized exactly why he had been blushing earlier. "Oh, hell no! There is no way that… No! No! No! No! No! I am not going to take my shirt off to get a seal even if it is for my betterment! No way in hell! I would only do that for my father, and even then it would be a reluctant sealing! I would rather walk around with the thing unsealed!"

Kakashi sighed, apparently he had expected this kind of reaction. "Then the Hokage will have no chance but take away your ninja status and have your chakra sealed away. The only thing you would have left would be the ability to pass down your bloodline limits to any children you may have." I gapped at him in shock as he paused to look at me before continuing. "So I will ask this question, will you take the seal or not? I promise that it will only be business because I do not—I repeat _do not_—fancy you. You're like a little sister to me so that thought is repulsive."

"Ugh…" I complained as I realized that I was backed up into a corner. Either I could leave the seal as it was and become in just about every aspect besides knowledge a civilian or I could have it sealed and stay a ninja. The choice was obvious because I still wanted to be able to protect Naruto to some extent until he could fully protect himself or the Akatsuki was destroyed or disbanded. "Shit… I'll get the damn thing sealed, but any funny business, any at all, and when I wake up after it is sealed I will put you in the hospital for at least a weak." I threatened and he gulped as I got up and strode out of the room, thankful that they had not been able to force me into once of those hospital gowns.

Looking down at my clothes I realized that soon I would need a new outfit. The black T-shirt I was wearing was tattered along the edges as well as the black ANBU-like pants that were tied around my ankles with sports wrap bandages, which were torn at the knees. Thankfully the fishnet chain-mail mesh underneath the shirt was still fully in one piece and not in need of being replaced. Thinking about it, I had no idea how I was going to get more clothes because I was short on money. Maybe I could ask the old man if he could lend me some money or something along that line. I barely took notice that Kakashi was following me.

"Oh, great…" I groaned as a realization hit me. "I'm going to have to go to the Hyuga compound again. At least I can see if I am able to get that stick out of Neji's butt. Plus I can help Hinata gain confidence once she is out of the hospital and fit enough to train… Wait a minute… Where are we going, Kakashi?"

**Author's Notes: **I am so very sorry that this was not out sooner, but I had writer's block and when that disappeared there were like three ideas on how this chapter was going to go, but the first draft that I made just plain sucked. It didn't even follow cannon even partially so what I had to do was reread that entire section of the night of the Nine-Tails attack and add Egao in somehow. I ended up not figuring out how to get her into the cave like I wanted to so I made a plot jump. So I cheated. ^_^ I went brain-dead ok! I ended up writing the part from the house and getting caught to the very end in one day with a fare amount of interruptions. If that hadn't been the case I would have been able to get it out a lot sooner so, I hope you guys forgive me. Until next time!

P.S. This is the longest chapter in this story to date! 9 3/4 pages in size 10 font of Times New Roman!


	5. Chapter 5

Super sorry about the lateness on my part. Marching Band ended up taking a lot of time to the point that it was ridiculous sometimes, but I love it none the less. Homework was evil too with essays and a stupid newspaper project. Family things kept popping up. You guys know the drill. Hope you can forgive me about it.

**Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Naruto, unfortunately… Only own Egao and the idea… I think…**

Chapter Five:

Last Chapter:

_Looking down at my clothes I realized that soon I would need a new outfit. The black T-shirt I was wearing was tattered along the edges as well as the black ANBU-like pants that were tied around my ankles with sports wrap bandages, which were torn at the knees. Thankfully the fishnet chain-mail mesh underneath the shirt was still fully in one piece and not in need of being replaced. Thinking about it, I had no idea how I was going to get more clothes because I was short on money. Maybe I could ask the old man if he could lend me some money or something along that line. I barely took notice that Kakashi was following me._

"_Oh, great…" I groaned as a realization hit me. "I'm going to have to go to the Hyuga compound again. At least I can see if I am able to get that stick out of Neji's butt. Plus I can help Hinata gain confidence once she is out of the hospital and fit enough to train… Wait a minute… Where are we going, Kakashi?"_

**N-N-N**

I stared at the blank, white wall in front of me, legs hanging over the hospital bed, elbow digging into my knee as I had my chin cupped in my hand. A sigh escaped my lips for the umpteenth time before the door opened and the Third Hokage walked in with a nurse nervously following behind him, a vanilla colored envelope in her hand, and I stood up, finally having something to put my brain to work. I noted it was the same nurse from two days ago who had drawn the blood for the blood test accompanying the Hokage. Carefully, as if she believed that the envelope was fragile glass, she handed the folder to me. With a smooth movement I flipped it over, revealing the two prongs that held the flap of the folder closed.

"You may leave," old man said, and the nurse left, recognizing the polite order. I heard his hands clap together as he performed hand signs for a privacy jutsu before a hand slapped against the cold, tiled floor. His chakra dropped a miniscule amount and he muttered something before saying in a louder tone, "You can open it now, Egao."

I tore open the envelope in one swift motion, and slipped the three sheets of paper out. One had a picture of me on it with all of my medical information, the second had a picture of a man I recognized with everything blacked out, telling me these sheets were copies, and the third… The edges of the paper crumpled as I gripped the paper in a death grip as I saw the results of the blood test. It was positive, and the thing was, I was not even related to the man.

"Darn it, Orochimaru!" I swore, the paper threatening to rip as I kept crumpling its edges more and more with the center of the paper getting tighter and tighter until it resembled the head of a drum. "How did he get the cells, old man?"

"Probably from his experiments that he was performing before he was exiled from the village," came the reply over my shoulder as the man sighed, "Things just became even more complicated…" A sudden change in the air around me informed me that he had gone into Hokage-mode. "This is immediately an S-classed secret, understand, Egao."

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, softly adding, "It's not the first S-class secret I've had to keep you know, and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last."

"I know," He said as I took a step forward and stretched, arching my back with my hands cupped in the small of my back, papers crumpling some more. A few pops sounded in the room and I straightened, feeling less tense than before. I swiftly handed him the rumpled papers, and, with a look that said "I know you not going to like this, but…" Saurotbi said, "You do realized that you have to go back to the Hyuga compound?"

"Crap, I was hoping that you would forget about that…" I muttered to myself, scowling slightly. "Can't I just get an apartment, old man?"

"No." He said sternly, and I opened my mouth to protest, but was cut off. "You are still under watch, and thus cannot be alone. You also have a meeting with the Council coming onto why you left, and what should be done with this situation. Only after that meeting, if it goes in your favor, can you get an apartment of your own, and even that is a slim chance.

"Fine…" I mumbled, acting like a little kid who did not get the toy she wanted, and the man's lips curved slightly as he smiled. "Before that though, I'm pretty sure that the Hiashi would not appreciate me coming onto the compound looking like I was just dragged from a fight."

"I agree…" The Hokage said, humor in his voice, before he pulled some money out of a pocket in his robes. Almost cautiously, he handed me it, and I took it with a blinding smile of thanks. "Just… Just don't over do it… And I'm not sure how some of the younger generation will react to your… interesting personality."

"I don't know whether to be insulted or not," I chuckled, as I walked over to the door, and waited for him to disable the jutsu he had set up in the room. As soon as it was down, I flew out the door with a quick wave, and exclaimed, "Don't worry, old man, I'm not that bad, and someone needs to teach those kids that you can lighten up once and a while!"

I heard him say something in response, but could not quite catch it. Yet I was pretty sure he said something along the lines of, "That's what I'm afraid of…"

**N-N-N**

I blended into the crowd of people busily shuffling through the crowded streets. It felt weird without receiving the sharp looks that I was used to as a child, even when I would walk around with Dad, I would get an odd look when people thought neither of us were looking. But right now… nothing. No jibes at being half Uchiha or half Hyuga, or being conceived out of wedlock, dishonoring both clans for just being born and living. Nothing spat about hanging around the "Demon Fox" that attacked Konoha, and then defending the boy that was being wrongly accused. There were not even any odd looks at my eyes since people would glance at my unique eyes then up at my headband and just scurry past without a word. It felt weird.

Absentmindedly, I made my way through the familiar streets to the clothing store that mom would always take me to because the owners were actually nice to me. I opened the door, listening to the tinkling of the bell that hung on the door as it moved, and I closed it as smoothly as possible. A black-haired woman with silver streaks running through the ebony, appeared, her brown eyes warm and welcoming.

"Why hello!" she said, and I smiled, she was exactly how I remembered, welcoming. "I haven't seen you around before…" Her eyes slid up to my headband, practically skipping my eyes. "The ninja clothes is on the right side of the store, civilian clothing on the left… Well, if you need any help just find me, okay, miss?"

"Yes, ma'am," I nodded politely; silently hurt she did not recognize me even in the slightest. _I know I changed a lot in ten years, but I didn't know I have changed that much. I can't believe Mrs. Amami _**(A.N. #1) **_doesn't recognize me… _The thought came to me as I looked at a clothes rack to my right, pretending to be thoroughly interested in the ninja outfit that was identical to the one I was wearing, but blue. I listened as she headed off to the counter, and sat on the stool hiding behind it, and I slipped into the forest of clothes in search of a gray coat trimmed in black flames…

_Finally!_ I thought finding a coat, grabbing three in case I ruined one, I draped them over an arm and flitted through the racks to find some ninja apparel. Quickly, I found a long-sleeve, v-cut black shirt and black, almost skin-tight, pants that were stretchy enough to provide a free range of movement. Happily, I snatched the clothes off the rack with enough for two weeks of changes and went over to the counter, a smile on my face.

"Will this be all, my dear?" Mrs. Amami asked, eyeing the pile of clothes carefully.

"Yes, ma'am!" I chirped, very uncharacteristically of a twenty-year-old, and her lips quirked up a little into a smile. She gave me the price and I forked over the money to her without a problem. After she double-checked the amount to make sure that I had not cheated her or gave her too much, the clothes were scooped into a bag and handed over.

"Thank you for visiting…" She said, I gave her another bright smile and she looked into my eyes before I turned around. When I reached out to open the door I heard her say softly, "Egao."

A large smile graced my face as I stepped out onto the street.

N-N-N

"What to do, what to do…?" I said to myself as I sat on the edge of a rooftop after changing in a random local restroom. The clean clothes were a welcome change after being out in the wilderness for so long. Idly, I twirled a kunai around a finger of my left hand, planning to find out who had refilled my kunai pouch while I was out one of the two times so I could thank them. "I could go and buy a new sketchbook and colored pencils for my odd pass time and therapy of mine… The one I have now is about full and the pencils I have are about done for…"

I closed my eyes as I ran my free hand through my hair with a soft sigh, at the same time replacing the kunai back into the proper pouch it belonged in by crossing my arm over my body. Opening my eyes just a crack, I peered down at the street below and spotted a familiar, scarred face. Suddenly, I grinned like a Cheshire cat as a thought formed, and promptly stood up before jumping down to the street below and blending into the crowd once more.

"Hey, Iruka!" I called running up to the man, weaving through the crowd skillfully. I saw him turn around, and gave him the brightest grin I could without making it seem mischievous while he gapped openly. Looking around as if confused, I asked, "What are you gawking at, Iruka?"

Unsurprisingly, he did not reply, just gawked when I look at him. When he still just continued to stare for a few more moments, I did an extremely stupid thing to do to a ninja, and waved my hand in front of his face saying, "Egao to Iruka! Wake up!"

His eyes cleared from surprise and the flash of suspicion was all I needed to jump a good two feet out of reach of his arms and legs. I rolled my eyes as he pulled out a kunai and took off, swerving down an alley that was a shortcut to one of the training grounds, the man on my heels. Faster than I expected, we made it to the training grounds. I stopped suddenly, whirling around to meet Iruka. Quicker than a genin could follow, I snatched two kunais out of one my pouches, tossed one into my free hand, and brought the knives up to parry Iruka's strike.

"Who are you?" He growled out, jumping back and pulling out five shuriken from his hip pouch, normally warm brown eyes cold and locked on me. His hand rose as he prepared to throw them.

"Egao Hyuga Uchiha, stupid head," I told him, my tone biting. I told him my name earlier darn it!

"Lire, she's dead! She's been dead for ten years!" He practically yelled, rage evident in his voice, the throwing stars flying through the air.

I growled as I simply rolled to the side, coming up with one knee on the ground, and brought my kunai up to block the downward strike I knew was coming. The sharp ring of steel meeting steel rang through the air. I looked up at the man's normally calm face contorted in fury as he bared down on the kunai with more of his weight.

My silvery-black eyes narrowed. If I let up even a little I would die unless if I performed a last minute substitution jutsu, but I did not have the ability right then to do it. Instead of trying that suicidal idea I swung my legs around, sweeping his legs out from under him. Unfortunately, instead of falling backwards like I had thought he might—considering how I did the sweep—he fell forward while I scrambled to move out of his way. I somehow managed to get out of the way of his surprised fall with him only falling on my leg; I let out a sigh of relief. If I had not moved that would have been an extremely awkward situation.

I blinked when I suddenly found myself pressed against the ground with a thin line of steel lying on my throat; Iruka's furious face was above me. He had managed to pin me down while I was distracted. Tentatively I tried to wiggle the wrist he was grabbing rather tightly out of his grip to no success. My other wrist was pinned to my side by his knee as he straddled my waist. A sharp pain on my neck from his kunai made me look into his eyes.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked dark eyes hard. "Are you a spy?"

"I'm who I said I am, you idiot! Now let me up! If someone comes along and sees us they will get the wrong idea!" I snapped in his face, writhing underneath him to get free.

"You are lying!" He hissed to me, the knife pressing harder against my throat, making me stopped writhing to save my life. "Egao is dead! Dead! She died ten years ago! You—"

"Iruka-sensei—Wha? Um… What's going on?" A familiar voice broke in, and I looked in the direction of the voice and saw the familiar face of Naruto. The boy had a faint blush on his face before he turned around. "Um… I'll find you later, okay, sensei… Bye!"

"Naruto! It's a misunderstanding!" I yelled to the blonde, making him stop and turn back around. I was fighting off a blush, somehow winning. I think. "Iruka just thought that I was an imposter. Please explain that I'm not an imposter! Please, Whiskers!"

"My name is not 'Whiskers', Glazed-eyes!" He shot back, blue eyes flashing in an annoyed and slightly triumphant manner at having managed to give me a nickname that was just as degrading as "Whiskers". "Iruka-sensei that's Egao, trust me. No one else seems to call me 'Whiskers' and Naruto in just a couple sentences. I've only _just_ met her and already I can tell."

"Now shove off!" I yelled, finally getting my hands free and shoving him away. Scrambling to my feet I glared down at the man who was just sitting on the ground, staring up at me with wide eyes. "Why can't you listen! Damn it, Iruka! You haven't changed these past ten years! You listen to everyone but me!"

I stalked closer and bent over, firmly poking him in the chest. "Next time think before you act."

"Like you're one to talk," he said, a smile starting to curve his lips. "You never think things through, that's why I attacked you."

"No, I just thought you had heard about me being back and _not _dead because you are a ninja, stupid!" I told him offering a hand. He took it, and I quickly pulled him up. I tried to ignore the slight blush he had dusting his face when he got his thinking-deeply face on. If he was thinking perverted thoughts I would kill him, even though he is my friend. Without turning around I called, "Naruto, don't go anywhere!"

The boy gasped and spluttered, "B-But how?"

"You try looking after a hyperactive toddler when you're eight and not develop that sixth sense that most females have called: 'eyes in the back of your head.' Most shinobi develop it, too." I looked over my shoulder to give him a smile. I laughed when he gapped at me, blue eyes wide.

"Egao," I swiveled my head back around to look at Iruka, "how are you…?"

"Not right now, okay. Later." I said, barely nodding to Naruto who was now looking interested in the conversation. I leaned towards Iruka and lowered my voice before saying, "Before anything else is said or done, though, I have to deal with something. Or should I say someone."

He looked at me curiously as I reached for the kunais I had dropped casually, and twirled one weapon on my finger by the ring on the end, putting the other back in my weapons pouch. I smiled, activating just my Byakugan silently. After a moment I said, "So… What are the three of us going to do now?"

"I don't know," Iruka said, looking at me oddly. My smile grew wider.

"Um… I don't know either." Came Naruto's reply as he walked over, staring at my eyes in a confused way. "Egao, why—"

"Well since we don't know, how about… Ichiraku ramen?" I suggested, directing my attention pointedly at the blonde for his reaction. Carefully, I pinpointed the cluster of stars on lines representing a person and his or her chakra pathways with the other percent of the area I could see.

"Yes!" The boy cried, pumping a fist and jumping into the air.

"Good, but first…" I threw the knife at the person, and heard a familiar yell of surprise. Spinning on the balls of my feet, I shot off into the bushes and grabbed the scruff of Jiraiya's shirt and dragged him into the view of the other with chakra enhancing my muscles. Iruka's eyes grew wide and Naruto face-palmed.

"Pervy Sage, what are you doing here?" The blonde asked.

"Don't call me that brat!" The white-haired man yelled back.

I blinked, thinking about what Naruto had just said, it slowly processing. I smiled at the look on Jiraiya's face, and then laughed at the glaring contest the two were in. In between my laughs I said, "That perfect! Way to go, Naruto! I can't believe K—Mom never thought of that!"

"Mom?" Naruto questioned innocently and Jiraiya tensed a little.

"Not my biological mother, but the woman that adopted me. Thinking about, I wonder why Dad never thought about it…" I stated, giving the super pervert a look.

"He probably did, but didn't want to incur the wrath of his incredible sensei!" The man exclaimed, jumping into an odd pose seeing as I released him when I started to laugh. "Because I am the great Toad Sage, Jiraiya of the Sanin!"

"Nope, I don't think that's it," I said, tapping a finger to my chin. The man deflated. "He probably just respected you too much… How he never turned out a pervert I will never know."

"Who are you two talking about?" Naruto asked, and I could swear there was a question mark above his head as he looked at us with his squinting thinking face.

"Minato Namikaze, Naruto. You would do well to remember his name because you have some big shoes to fill seeing as he was Jiraiya's apprentice before you." I told him. _And he is your father on top of it all as well as your role model._ I looked up at the Hokage Monument peeking over the trees. Raising an arm, I pointed at the face to the far right when the blonde looked even more confused, and said, "He's right their, Whiskers. His moniker by the enemies was Konoha's Yellow Flash thanks to the Third Shinobi War and him constantly using a technique of his. You probably know him best as the Fourth Hokage, savior of Konoha."

Naruto's blue eyes were huge as he looked at me. I gave him a grin that was so reminiscent of the late Hokage that Jiraiya averted his eyes to look up at the stone face of his student scowling over the village. For a second Naruto just looked at me with awed eyes that suddenly became dark with realization and shock. He looked away.

So softly I barely heard him, he muttered, "Then you must hate me for taking him away from you…"

Jiraiya jerked his head around so fast in surprise his neck cracked; Iruka looked on with wide eyes. I just stared at him, smile evaporating as a cold weight settled into my stomach. I sighed, gently grabbing his face and forcibly turning his head to look at me. He kept his eyes rooted to the ground.

"You are an idiot." I said slowly, enunciating every syllable. The blonde's wide-eyed gazed snapped up to look at me, the darkness gone. "I do not hate you, because you are a hero. Dad did what any Hokage would do: sacrifice his life for the village. The people I hate are the villagers. They have treated you, a hero from the ripe old age of only a few hours old, like they treated me, the bane of the Uchiha and the Hyuga clans. The village did not respect my father's last wish, for you to be a hero. And, like my cousin Obito Uchiha said to a prick before he died saving that same prick: 'Those in the ninja world that disobey the rules and regulations are called trash, but… those who don't care about their companions are even worse trash.' The village did just that, and they are the ones that I hate." I straightened, looking back at the Hokage Monument, remembering Dad's shocked, then smiling face when he was given the hat—even though the smart, yet stupid when he chose to be, blonde had been told about it before—and the look of pride he gave Naruto before he died.

"Dad did what he did to save the village, and, unfortunately for you, you were the closest infant for what had to be done. He regretted having to do it, but it was either that or everyone in the village would die. I don't blame you, because I was not your fault, your fuzzy little friend is the perpetrator, not you. Naruto, you are a hero already, so don't you dare forget it. While others may not see it, I do because… they didn't see…" I trailed of and closed my eyes, holding back tears as emotions swept over me, extremely fresh because of my dream a few days ago.

I heard a sniffle, and opened my silvery eyes to peer over at Naruto. The blonde was furiously trying to rub tears away, but to no avail. I smiled sadly on the inside seeing my foster brother in tears. Suddenly I found myself on the ground, arms wrapped around my midsection. A bright head of spiky blonde hair stood out against my dully-colored attire as well as a bright orange jumpsuit. Naruto's body heaved with sobs.

"Th-Th-Th-Thank you, E-E-Egao…" He murmured into my stomach, his tears wetting my shirt. "No one… N-N-No one h-has ever s-said th-th-that t-to me b-before…"

My breath caught in my throat some, and I wrapped my arms around the boy in a tight hug, being careful to not squish him. I waited for him to calm down and gently grabbed his shoulders, pushing him away from me so I could see his tearstained face. With a large smile, I said, "That's because no one besides me really knew for positive, and at the time I was just a kid so no one would listen to a child that was 'depressed'. Although I think Old Man Third knew I wasn't lying. And you're welcome."

Naruto blinked for a second then gave a shaky smile of his own that was reminiscent to Kushina. I ruffled his hair affectionately. He wrinkled his nose up, and shoved my hand away before springing to his feet.

"I'm going to surpass even your dad, Egao! Believe it!" He yelled, his face betraying no signs of having cried anymore.

"I bet, Whiskers." I laughed; glad he was back to normal. "Now how about ramen?"

"Yes! Ramen!" He bounded away, somehow having grabbed Iruka's hand and dragged him with him. "You coming, Egao?"

"I'm coming, I just need to talk to Pervy Sage about something!" I called, a grin splitting my face at Jiraiya's pout. Naruto merely shrugged, dragging his sensei away.

"Not you too…" The white-haired man pouted. Then he turned serious. "You handled that really well and did not reveal anything too dangerous."

"Yeah…" I said, turning to him. "But I can't believe he was that heart broken from that complement… I didn't really think he would react that way."

"He wasn't heart broken, Kid." I got a look that told me I needed to figure out the blonde. "He was touched. He was touched that you, the adopted daughter of his role model and hero, thought so highly of him. And told him that Minato really didn't want to do what he did, but made a hero out of a baby to save the whole of the village. He just didn't know how—"

"No, Jiraiya, he was heart broken, not touched," I interrupted, "I was the exact same way when Obito found out about me and actually cared for me. Then, again, when Mom and Dad adopted me, telling me that I was not a curse but a gift. A gift that had no right to live like a kicked puppy, not a human being. To find someone that thinks so highly of you when you are hated for something you can't help, you are so deeply touched you become heart broken because you find out you have worth and are not a waste of space or trash."

The man was silent, and I took as step away. Then another, and another. Before I left the training ground, I said to Jiraiya without looking at him, "I'm going to Ichiraku to join up with Naruto and Iruka. You are welcome to join us."

**N-N-N**

I poked at the remaining half of my shrimp ramen with my chopsticks absentmindedly, not all that hungry with the bowl actually in front of me. Naruto was talking animatedly with Iruka in-between mouthfuls of ramen, already on his third bowl. I was silently glad that I was not the only one paying the bill. When Naruto mentioned the Forest of Death, I froze with a feeling that I was forgetting something very important nagging at me.

"I almost got eaten by a snake, sensei!" The blonde exclaimed, waving his hands, barely avoiding knocking over his half-empty bowl. "I made it explode by using the Shadow Clone jutsu. There was also a very girly man who tried to make his snake eat Sasuke. I stopped it though! Hey, Pervy Sage!"

"Damn it, don't call me that, Brat!"

My entire body tensed, eyes growing wide as the white-haired man pushed aside the flaps to the entrance of the ramen stand. I started to eat what ramen I could after a quickly muttered curse. Having wolfed half the bowl down in a record time. I fished money out of my pocket to pay for my bowl as well as Naruto's three, and placed it on the countertop not even looking asking for the price, hoping that it had not increased at all in the past decade. Iruka stared at me slack-jawed, and Naruto's blue eyes were wide, his bowl almost to his face so he could slurp up the broth. Apparently they did not realize I could eat ramen that fast.

"Sorry, I just thought about something very, very important. Naruto, not trying to be rude and interrupt your quality time with Iruka, but this involves you and something that strange man did to knock you unconscious. I just now remembered…" I said, giving Jiraiya a look that said it involved him too. Looking back at Naruto, I said, "It concerns Mr. Fuzzy, and I mean really concerns him."

The blonde paled, his bowl slowly getting placed on the counter. Iruka went even paler than the blonde did, and his scar looked extremely dark against his skin. The Toad Sage looked at me with accusing eyes that held a very miniscule amount of fear in them at what my semi-coded comment meant.

"Yes, ma'am. Gotta go, Iruka-sensei!" The jinchuuriki said as I grabbed his wrist, pulling him off the stool. To his credit, he did not even yelp.

I passed Jiraiya, and he looked tempted to whack me upside the head. In my ear he hissed, "Why the hell didn't you mention this earlier?"

"I forgot okay! That snake bastard got one over me too, so do you expect me to remember every damn thing when I am being yelled at for leaving?" I replied in an undertone so the blonde could not pick up what our conversation was about.

"Urg… You're infuriating—"

"I learned from the best." I smirked, thinking about how obnoxious Obito could be as well as how much of a prick Kakashi was when he was younger. Not to mention that a certain redhead was not the most easy to get along with person in the world at times, and enjoyed teaching the art of pranks to any impressionable child that would listen.

"Never mind… Brat, where is your apartment?" Jiraiya said over his shoulder to the blonde who was still very pale.

"N-Not far…" He stuttered, quickening his pace so he was dragging me along instead.

Granted, I knew where the place was from information through the grapevine, but I had no idea if he had gotten a new one or not. When I saw a familiar building and we veered off towards it I realized he had not moved at all. Before I knew it, we were at his door, Naruto scrambling for his keys. Eventually the door was opened, and Jiraiya shut it behind us.

"Now what the hell were you talking about back there, Egao?" The Sanin whirled on me that glint in his eyes telling me that he would gut me if I did not answer his question immediately.

"Orochimaru, he put an odd pronged seal over Naruto's even numbered one in the Forest of Death. And before you go off on me about me not telling the Hokage, I was being distracted by being questioned so closely on why I left and… other things so it was pushed to the back of my mind." I told him, raising my hands up in a defensive and slightly placating manner.

"I-Is that bad?" Naruto whimpered with his fear of the fox getting out because of the seal being tampered with showing plainly on his face.

"Yes. That's why you're having trouble with the water walking technique. Your chakra is being blocked and has been tampered with. Take you shirt off and channel some chakra so I can see the seal." The white-haired man ordered, turning his back on me.

"Whoa. Hold up. 'Kashi hasn't taught them water walking yet? What has that man been doing? Probably reading one of you books I bet." I said, scowling to myself while planning to give the jounin a talking to that would have made Mom proud. Naruto shot me a scared look as he slipped his coat, shirt, and fishnet material off. The blonde jinchuuriki brought his hands together in a hand sign and closed his eyes, channeling his chakra. The two seals appeared on his stomach.

"Damn that snake. This probably won't feel pleasant, Naruto." Jiraiya murmured, his fingertips glowing with kanji after a few brief hand signs. Quickly, he rammed his hand into the blonde's midsection, the five-pronged seal disappearing relatively quickly as the boy doubled over, the wind knocked out of him.

"Is… Is the seal good now?" Naruto gasped, his breathing slowly returning to normal. He peered up at us with a single blue eye open the other tightly closed for a reason I could not figure out. Probably pain.

"Yes, it is." Jiraiya sighed in relief that he did not bother to try and hide right as there was a knock at the door. He shot me another look, and I sighed, going over to open it and came face to mask with an ANBU.

"Egao, the Hokage requires you for a meeting with the Council immediately." The ANBU said in monotonous a feminine voice.

I looked at her for a second, my face blank. I had not anticipated that the meeting would be so soon. Slowly, I said, "I hadn't thought it would be so soon. Erm… Jiraiya, Naruto, I have something that I have to take care of, okay. I'll see you later. Hopefully…" I added under my breath.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked, no longer breathless. Jiraiya only nodded in acceptance, and I had the feeling that he knew he might be called to come to the meeting soon.

"The Hokage called, Whiskers." I gave him a smile; it was slightly forced because of the hammering of my heart in my chest from being so nervous. My last experience with the council had ended with me trying to slam an incomplete Rasengan into a civilian's face for calling Naruto the Demon Fox and getting knocked out by one of the ninjas in the room before the attack could even touch the man. I turned to the ANBU whose body language made me think that she was getting slightly irritated at the prolonged wait. "I'm—"

The masked ninja gripped my shoulder securely. Then the odd feeling from using a Shunshin fell over me while the ANBU sent some of her chakra into me to make me come along too. We reappeared in a swirl of leaves in the Council's meeting room. Faces looked down at me, totally disregarding the ANBU who disappeared when I tried to shoot a glare at her, continuing my sentence with a bitter tone, "…coming…"

Looking back up at the Council, I caught eyes with Hiashi who was glaring at me, and smiled. Raising a hand in greeting, I greeted the men and women in a very Kakashi-ish manner. I said one word: "Yo."

That was when the room exploded into a chaotic noise. I instantly regretted that informal greeting and my eye twitched. This was going to be one heck of a long meeting…

**Author's Notes:**

**#1: Beautiful sky**

Once again, so very sorry that this is so late. And I'm also sorry about the shortness of the chapter, but the writing style I use for this story is fundamentally different from my other two stories.


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